GOING DOWN HOME WITH DADDY

In a performance that pays homage to dads everywhere, Daxton Edwards narrates with down-home warmth and sincerity, voicing Lyons’s lyrical text, which recounts a trip to a family reunion. Adopting a folksy speech pattern and a cadence reminiscent of the rural South, Edwards provides a narration that is in harmony with the production’s lilting music. Occasional sound effects reflect textual highlights, such as a ride through the fields on a tractor and the clinking of plates, cutlery, and glassware as the family sits down to eat “love-made” food. This immersive audiobook stands well on its own, but listeners may want to pick up the print book so they can also enjoy Daniel Minter’s luminous 2020 Caldecott Honor illustrations. S.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2021 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2020]