The reception of children’s audiobooks in which toy-characters turn listening into an immersive experience

Abstract

Sound is often understood as an intangible language, associated with the idea of something ephemeral, akin to smoke in the universe of the invisible (Wisnik, 1989). From this perspective, the audiobook, as a material manifestation, is similarly perceived as a format that materializes through the propagation of sound waves (Rubery, 2016). Based on this understanding, this study aims to investigate the boundaries between sound and its materialities, using as an object of analysis the children's audiobooks provided by Tonies, an interactive storytelling system that operates by placing a figurine on the sound player. By transforming the audiobook into an interactive experience, Tonies offer children a literary encounter that materializes the audiobook through the interaction between the figurine and the sound device. Focusing on the material construction of the audiobook, this work seeks to explore the sensory dimension of this format, identifying how this literary experience can transcend the limits of traditional listening, reinterpreting the relationship with narratives through their materiality. To this end, we adopt a theoretical approach that considers the materialities present in children's literature and their narrative potential (Navas, 2022; Medeiros, 2022), aiming to understand how the interface between physical and digital aspects influences the reception and interpretation of audiobooks. The study thus seeks to demonstrate how direct interaction with the figurines fosters a new form of aesthetic immersion in the audiobook universe, highlighting the relevance of studies on literary materiality in childhood in dialogue with new technologies.