Audiobooks for Kids
Since infancy our kids have spent a lot of time in the car traveling to see friends in relatives in the Midwest. Most days we walk around our Chicago neighborhood but they are in the car for a 4-5 hour round trip almost once a month with longer 12-14 hour drives a few times a year. For longer road trips the kids pack their own backpack of activities including their iPads. We allow for some screen time but my favorite way to pass the time (I promise it's not just me) is by listening to audiobooks. Audiobooks are perfect in many situations...not just that long road trip so enjoy my TAKE on our families' favorite lineup of audiobooks.
We primarily listen to audiobooks through Audible. Audible is Amazon's answer to audiobooks and they have the largest catalog of audiobooks in the world. It is a stand-alone membership based service but Amazon Prime members do have access to stream some books within the catalog. We have been using the service via their app for the last 18 months and our monthly Audible membership includes 1 book credit and exclusive member savings on additional audiobooks. You don't have to use your credit each month (you can bank up to 5) and I recommend using your credit for adult books which tend to cost more. Children's audiobooks are generally well priced and there are often sales. We have just started to listen to some chapter books and I'm so excited for longer attention spans so we can listen to books like Harry Potter and A Wrinkle In Time.
Audible does a great job of letting people try their service and books before committing. If interested there is a 30-day trial membership and before purchasing an audiobook Audible allows you to listen to a sample of the recording as the narrator's voice is an important piece of the audiobook selection process. A bad narration can completely ruin a treasured book so make sure to listen to the sample and/or check out the customer reviews. Better yet, let some of my recommendations remove the guess work - Happy Listening!
Family Favorites
- The Gruffalo (narrated by Imelda Staunton)
- The Gruffalo's Child (narrated by Imelda Staunton)
- Tikki Tikki Tembo (narrated by Peter Thomas)
- The Three Little Pigs (narrated by Fritz Weaver)
- Strega Nona (narrated by Peter Hawkins)
- Penny and Her Marble (narrated by Cynthia Nixon)
- Matilda (narrated by Kate Winslet)
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (narrated by Douglas Hodge)
- Ramona the Pest (narrated by Stockard Channing)
- Ramona Quimby, Age 8 (narrated by Stockard Channing)
Adult Favorites
I know I titled this post Audiobooks for Kids but the truth is my husband and I use Audible quite a bit. It's perfect for our commuter lifestyle so I'm sharing some of our favorites too!
- The Handmaid's Tale (narrated by Claire Danes)
- Big Little Lies (narrated by Caroline Lee)
- Little Fires Everywhere (narrated by Jennifer Lim)
- Kitchen Confidential (narrated by Anthony Bourdain)
- Moneyball (narrated by Scott Brick)