Ship the Kids on Ahead

De: Bill Stokes

Narrado por: Sean Runnette, James Foster, Stefan Rudnicki, R.C. Bray, Xe Sands, Joe Hempel

We all have that one older funny family member. You know the one, he tells stories from his experiences and usually has people rolling their eyes. William Stokes is that person! He presents a delightful collection of memories that are truly life lessons even today! Stokes, through his memories and wit, provides opportunities to learn through laughter, sharing of memories and love.

Many will shake their heads in remembrance of similar experiences and crack a smile if not a full on belly laugh!

From chapters on "The Hammer is in the Petunias" to "Merry Christmas" one cannot help but feel warm and comforted in those memories he shares that are full of life lessons. His writing style is comfortable, breezing along with ease and sucking the listener along on the ride. Jump aboard and experience those eye rolling, belly laughing moments; it will be a wild ride!

This was originally self-published in 1968 and has been re-published in all modern formats as a birthday present from a grandson to his grandfather.

©2016 Bill Stokes (P)2016 Paul Stokes

Perfect.

What made the experience of listening to Ship the Kids on Ahead the most enjoyable?

I had to the pleasure to be one of the narrators on this audiobook, so that itself made this entire experience BEYOND enjoyable. That said, I only got to read the stories I was going to narrate. The wait to hear the rest of Bill's stories was completely worth it!

What did you like best about this story?

Its purity. Bill's writing isn't something you can learn or pick up over time; it's innate. STKOA was written entirely from his heart.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

The only reason I gave the performance ranking four stars is because of me. LOL! All the other narrators, I'm proud to say, are friends of mine and I've been listening to them for years. There's not a weak one in the bunch. Except Runnette, of course.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It is and I did. This is a wonderful book to listen to during a snowy evening after the driveway, sidewalk, and walkway have been shoveled; on a rainy fall afternoon with your spouse when the kids are entertaining themselves somewhere far, far, far away; or out on a porch or park bench on a gorgeous summer or spring day - Arnold Palmer in hand is a must!

Any additional comments?

Bill hearkens back to a time and place someone my age (40) can only wish they'd lived in/through. If you enjoy Jean Shepherd, Garrison Keillor, and Norman Rockwell... then you'll absolutely enjoy Send the Kids on Ahead. Thanks, Bill! It was an honor!

Great stories and great laughs!

What a great book and so much great talent in the narration. Most of the voices are very familiar to me, having listened to them in previous books. Did you ever sit around listening to your grandfather tell stories as a kid and later in life wished you could remember them all or wished someone would have wrote them down? This is exactly that! This is a great collection of short stories by Bill Stokes that are certainly funny and all very relatable! Each of the narrators do an excellent job bringing this book to life! I really enjoyed it!

Welcome to the "olden" days...stop for a chuckle

Welcome to a simpler time. Granted, you might not think so as you journey through a world shared by Bill Stokes as he uses wit and humor to describe an era that is sadly almost forgotten.

Each one of these "columns" is delivered wonderfully and brought back memories of my childhood. This is something you should share with your children or even grandchildren. I can imagine that it will start a few engaging conversations versus the standard eyerolls you receive when recalling the days when you "walked to school five miles in the snow uphill both ways". Instead, you may be asked, "what did that mean?" or "was it really like that when you were younger?"

Whatever the reason, I would highly rec commend grabbing this clever collection and letting your mind wander back to a simpler time that might not have seemed that way to those who lived it.

Much of the narration was enjoyable, but a few seemed to almost detract as they tried too hard to be deadpan funny, but that is simply a personal preference.

An anthology of short stories

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

It had it's moments

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

A great way to end the book.

What three words best describe the narrators’s performance?

enlightening, quirky, enhancing

What else would you have wanted to know about Bill Stokes’s life?

the writing process in writing short stories

Any additional comments?

"I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom."

Such a great change of pace!

Any additional comments?

This is such a wonderful detour from all of the seriousness in other books. Bill Stokes' words a magic for the soul. I don't remember the last time I've listened to a book and smiled from start to finish.

The narration was absolutely phenomenal. Everyone did a great job and I am having a very hard time trying to single out if one was better than another... so, I'm not going to!

My advice to anyone is to just get it. If you're looking at this right now, wondering if you should buy it, stop thinking and just get it. This will be your best audiobook investment this year. It's rare when you find a book like this. Bill Stokes is a master of words and they are spoken by the masters of narration.

It doesn't get any better than this.