In our house, all audiobooks are called storytapes.

Book on CD? Storytape.

Book on i-pod? Storytape.

Book on tape? Well, you get the picture.

Since Bougie is now three-going-on-not-napping, storytapes are particularly important in her life. And mine. Because every day that she's not at preschool around 1 pm, I read her a couple of books, then pop in a storytape and shut the door. And we both get a break for about an hour. Sometimes she sleeps. Increasingly she doesn't. But it doesn't matter - all I need to get through the rest of the day is that hour.

Yeah, I could turn on the TV for her. Lord knows there's better programming for preschoolers now than any other time in the history of television. But I prefer to sock away that privilege for times when I really need it (say, when both kids are climbing the walls and dinner is not cooking itself). And the truth is: she LOVES her storytapes.

I'm not talking about those book-and-tape sets, by the way. I'm talking looooooong, long-winded narration of dense tales. I think she just kind of stares at the ceiling and bugs out. I'm pretty sure she follows the narrative (particularly after repeated listenings), because she'll happily discuss them with you.

At any rate, following the lead of my fellow offsprung blogger, Stefan (of Zooglobble fame), whose top-50 list of children's songs kept my toes tapping, I proudly offer Bougie's Top Ten Storytapes List. I'll count 'em down in future posts, and I'd welcome suggestions from any readers whose under-five year olds are also audiophiles.

Without Further Ado: NUMBER TEN IS....

(note: we have it on CD, but Amazon only seems to carry the cassette... I'm not sure if this is the same recording) This longish tale, one of the more obscure-ish works of the inimitable Roald Dahl, is about a boy who befriends a team comprised of a giraffe, a pelican and a monkey who clean windows. Together, they go to the palace, clean windows, stop a burglary and live happily ever after in ways quite specific to their characters. A lovely tale, well read (with nice incidental music, too).