Our family loves listening to audio entertainment while we're in the car, and we're always on the lookout for new resources. We were recently given a chance to review two audio dramas from LifeHouse Theater On-The-Air, “The Princess and the Pigs” and “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi,” and these CDs were a big hit all around.

These fully dramatized audio books feature a full cast and orchestrated soundtrack, so listening to them is like watching a movie except the pictures are all in your imagination.  Curriculum guides are available to download from the website for each production. The 6-page guides include a list of highlights from the lives of the original authors, content and review questions, a theme Bible verse, questions for further discussion, and more.

“The Princess and the Pigs” (approximately 42 minutes) is based on a story by the Brothers Grimm called “King Thrushbeard.” The main character, Princess Mirabel, is self-centered, spoiled, and extremely thoughtless with her words. After insulting several potential suitors at a party given by her father, the king declares he will marry her off to the next man who comes knocking. One suitor, undeterred by her rudeness, disguises himself as a peasant, presents himself at the kitchen door, and is rewarded with her hand in marriage. Living a life of poverty changes Princess Mirabel, and in the end, of course, they live happily ever after.

“Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” (approximately 33 minutes) is taken from Rudyard Kipling's novel The Jungle Book. Set in India, it tells the story of a courageous and faithful mongoose, who is willing to risk his life to protect the missionary family he loves from two deadly cobras who are determined to destroy them.

There were so many things to enjoy in these productions. My children loved the humor, the silly voices, and the fun stories. I loved the production quality and the way the classic stories were tied in with biblical truths. (The two stories we listened to weren't necessarily “Christian” stories originally, but these scripts were written to purposefully include Bible teaching.) They were both extremely entertaining and definitely something I saw as a positive way to spend our time. My children were eager to listen to more and since there are ten stories available, we've still got several from which to choose our next listening adventure.

These two CDs retail for $13.99 each. Others in the series range from $13.99-$19.99, or the whole set of ten is available for $169.90

—Product review by Deanna Jasper, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, January, 2017