Ship the Kids on Ahead

By: Bill Stokes

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

Length: 3 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

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."

Slice of life with marvelous narrators!

To be honest, I originally picked this book because I saw that Sean Runnette is one of the narrators, and he is hands down my favourite narrator. Nonetheless, the other narrators are a pleasure to listen to as well, and I was genuinely surprised that I enjoyed this title as much as I did!

As for the book, Ship the Kids on Ahead is lighthearted and wholesome, and all of the short stories are so warm and cozy to listen to. I am such a sucker for old Americana (though I myself am not American), but the fact that these stories are non-fiction/memoir and written with so much honesty just makes them shine even more.

There are groan worthy “Dad jokes” sprinkled here and there and I could not help but laugh every time they made an appearance. Moreover, I think the mixture of stories in this book provide a little bit of everything that anyone can appreciate. For me, the stories set in winter really warmed the cockles of my heart. As a Canadian, my Father and late Grandparents all told me similar stories of life during the long, harsh, and unrelenting winters, and I was suddenly flooded with unexpected nostalgia.

Lovers of short stories and non-fiction need this wonderful and well written book in their collection! By the end of Ship the Kid on Ahead you can’t help but adore the very talented and lovable author. What a delight!

This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom- Thank you! Ship the Kids on Ahead has made it onto my “listen again” list!

Who's Having the Best Part of this Relationship?

If you could sum up Ship the Kids on Ahead in three words, what would they be?

Vignettes of kids and fathers. Related with humor, and heartwarming style!

What other book might you compare Ship the Kids on Ahead to and why?

I can compare it to other work by Bill Stokes. He is so good at writing about situations we can relate to. As a father, as a son and as most often occurs, as both I know I related to many of the stories from both protagonists point of view.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

A collection of some of the best in recorded books.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Mostly of fond reaction relating to similar situations in my past.

Any additional comments?

I noted this in the description: "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."

i can't think of a nicer gift to Bill from grandson Paul. And we, as readers and listeners are recipients as well.

This review copy audiobook was provided at no cost. I understand I am obligated to mention that and I am happy to give my honest review of it voluntarily.

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.

Interesting

Listening to this book brought back memories of my childhood as the author told me about his. There were also stories about his family and experiences he has had in his life. I find it very interesting to listen to his stories. They are short, and simple and engaging. I like that there are several different narrators because that keeps it new and fresh. If you like Garrison Keillor you will like this book. As a bonus, there is a 100% chance that you will learn a new way to battle a cold.

I received this book at no charge in exchange for my honest and unbiased review from audiobook boom.

Nostalgia For Me

I enjoyed listening to this recount of what it was like growing old with my children. The shift in narrators was a pleasing touch to this series of recollections. Well written as always.

Short, Quirky, and Entertaining

Let me say at the outset that Ship the Kids on Ahead is not the typical sort of audiobook or reading material that I tend to gravitate toward, even in the realm of non-fiction. The time I've devoted to reading non-fiction as a whole is woefully inadequate, unfortunately, and tends to lean toward science-related topics or historical events rather than the slice-of-life minutia that Bill Stokes wrote about for the Wisconsin State Journal.

Happily, I found myself surprisingly entertained by Stokes view of small-town America circa the 1950s and '60s. Obviously, quite a lot has changed since that era, but there are still plenty of timeless experiences that are easy to relate to, particularly in the matters of family and parenting, which is a topic that Stokes turns to fairly often. And I'm right there with him in thinking there needs to be time off work for the random occurrences of dumb days, those days that begin with a sudden breaking of a shoe lace and a small piece of shell in your eggs, portents that this will be a no-good, very bad, rotten day, one better spent in bed, perhaps reading a book.

These short stories are narrated by a handful of performers and all of them are up to the task of bringing Stokes's words to life. RC Bray and Joe Hempel in particular were stand-outs for me, and they seemed to really connect with the material. Xe Sands, too, brought a nice feminine touch to the production for a few segments and it's clear that I'll have to keep an eye out for more of her work in the future.

Ship the Kids on Ahead presents the kind of columns we no longer see very much of in newspapers (at least by my estimation), and Stokes words in particular were designed to give the reader a smile or a bit of a chuckle after reading some of the more sobering stories print journalism brought to your doorstep. These are stories of daily life, of being stuck in traffic, or putting up a pegboard to hang tools from, or watering the Christmas tree and imbibing a bit too much in the process. Short, quirky, and entertaining, there is a broad appeal to the columns recorded here, and plenty to relate to.

[Note: I received a copy of this title from the publisher, Paul Stokes, in exchange for an honest review.]