Many students across the country have begun using CD, cassette, and MP3 players to listen to top 10 hits. They can also have a book open in front of them while they do this. Are these students multitasking? No, maybe they're just kids who like multimedia. The top 10 hits they listen to might be the latest audiobook released. Tracking a book while you read it is not a new concept. Parents have been reading aloud to their children for many years. So what's the difference between older students listening to someone else read to them? Is this really reading? Does it help develop language and fluency as well as reading in traditional ways? According to There are several benefits to listening to audiobooks. These include getting struggling readers to read, improving students' listening skills, and most importantly, improving their reading fluency. Audiobooks have become a much bigger market in recent years. “The latest figures from the Audio Publishers Association show that the industry had sales of $800 million in 2003” (MacPherson, 2005, para. 11). “Over the past decade, the audio industry has experienced steady growth, even as formats have shifted from cassettes to CDs and digital downloads” (MacPherson, 2005, para. 10). This increase in audiobooks is good for the companies that sell them, but is it good for our children? Does listening to a book provide the same benefits to students who read the books? Doesn't letting children use audiobooks mislead other children who read the book themselves? The answers to these questions can only be resolved after discussing the reading. When looking at the definition, there are two schools of thought. The first is that reading must include "using one's eyes to decode...... middle of paper...... all readers." Retrieved February 12, 2008, from the World Wide Web: http://www.readingrockets.org/article/64?theme=printMacPherson, K. (2005). Audiobooks can be a great learning tool [Electronic version]. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, accessed February 12, 2008 at http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05318/606016-75.stmMoody, K. (February 1989). Audio cassettes and books: perfect partners. School Library Journal, 35(6), 27-29. Retrieved February 10, 2008, from Academic Search Complete database. Simpson, C. (April 2006). Editor's notes. Library Media Connection, 24(7), 8. Retrieved February 12, 2008, from Academic Search Complete database. Tubbs, J. (June 29, 2007). Develop reading fluency with an iPod language lab. Retrieved February 10, 2008, from the World Wide Web: http://misterteacher.blogspot.com/2007/06/developing-reading-fluency-through-ipod.html