When we are asked if audiobooks are a good choice for our young readers, our reply is a resounding, “Yes!” Listening to good books read aloud has established benefits—both cognitive and in terms of convenience. The variety, overall quality, and availability of children’s audiobooks have skyrocketed over the past several years. There are wonderful audiobooks for children of all ages, narrated by high-quality storytellers, including, occasionally, a book’s author.
Children’s first experiences with written text is in the form of narration—parents and teachers reading aloud to infants and toddlers. At some point in their progression, and even before formal introduction to phonics and decoding, children quite naturally begin to recognize certain words on the page. At all points in their “learning to read” journey, children benefit from listening to books that stretch their capacity to read, books that are at a higher level than what they can read on their own.
Regular exposure to new vocabulary and more complex sentence structure is beneficial whether a child is reading from a page or listening to a narration. Audiobook narrators, who are often actors or other speaking professionals, model fluent reading, with pacing and emphases that enhance the story and impact readers’ own oral reading fluency, listening comprehension skills, and ability to visualize. Audiobooks can be a unique motivational tool for reluctant or struggling readers, especially if they can simultaneously read and listen to a book.
Finally, listening to an excellent book (or podcast) read by an expressive narrator is great fun! It is a wonderful family activity, and with earbuds and mobile devices readily available, it is a pleasurable personal activity. Listening to an audiobook can enliven the most mundane of activities—household chores or car commutes, for example. In fact, we decided to finally publish our list of favorite audiobooks in time for the winter holidays. With a second nod to the holiday season, our selections lean toward stories that honor kindness, generosity, and gratitude. We hope there’s something here for each of you.
Preschool
Little Stories for Tiny People Written and performed by Rhea Petcher
Bear’s Big Sleep: A Thanksgivingish Story for Kids is one of the many short tales on this ten season long podcast site for small children. Stories can be sorted by topic, such as: Friendship, Big Feelings, Growing Up, and Life Changes. Each story features characters like Sophie the Sloth and Strumbly Bear who learn life lessons as applicable to kids as they are to imaginary animals. Children love the recurring characters as well as Rhea’s soothing voice.
The Sesame Street Podcast with Foley and Friends by Sesame Workshop, narrated by a full cast
Foley, the soundmaker monster, is the host of this high-energy podcast that will captivate young children. Foley, along with all of the regulars from Sesame Street talk about subjects such as the importance of family, making friends, feelings, and understanding what it means to share. Elmo and Foley chat in episode two about being sad, feeling scared, and how having friends that make you feel happy makes a difference. Songs about emotions, attitudes and friendship are sprinkled throughout this incredibly meaningful children’s podcast.
Kindergarten
Winnie The Pooh: The House at Pooh Corner written by A.A. Milne, narrated by Judi Dench, Stephen Fry and others
This amazing collection of short stories which take place in the 100 acre wood are just about to become the same age as the forest in which they occur. The incredibly diverse group of characters take children through so many whimsical situations, all the while teaching them important lessons about childhood. Perhaps the finest in all is the lesson that little Piglet, Pooh’s constant friend, has in one of his many heartfelt thoughts, “Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.” You and your children will never want this treasure to end.
Grades One & Two
But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids Hosted by Jane Lindholm
This Vermont Public Radio podcast takes actual questions that kids have asked parents over and over and again, and takes the time to really answer them. Some of the questions may seem silly, such as, “Why are Cactuses Spiky?” or, “Why Can’t Kids Vote?” But to a child, these are very important. There are also entire episodes dedicated to emotional or ethical issues, such as, “Is It OK to Break a Rule?” and, “Why do Things Seem Scary in the Dark?” Each episode comes with resources and a learning guide to deepen a child’s understanding of the lesson.
Third-to-Fifth Grade
Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate, narrated by Kirby Heyborn
Newberry Medalist Katherine Applegate conveys a magical story about friendship, forgiveness, empathy, and resilience. As a family deals with a stressful circumstance, young Jackson copes by spending time with his friend Crenshaw, an imaginary cat. This audiobook has a serious tone and enlightens readers to the fact that some kids lead a not-so-perfect life. The narrator brings the imaginary Crenshaw to life in a way that is relatable to children and provokes thoughts of gratefulness.
Middle School
The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel
This Peabody award winning podcast that is performed by a cast of middle schoolers begins with an eleven-year-old Mars and his friends awaiting the end of 7th grade. They hope to gain their entrance to the exclusive Pruitt Prep High School, founded by tech guru genius Oliver Pruitt. Then one of them suddenly goes missing. Mars listens to Pruitt’s podcast daily, and finds clues and discovers that kids are disappearing all over the world. Mars and his friends are seemingly normal, but they all have certain abilities or talents that get amplified as the story goes on. Listeners gain a sense that anyone could be a sort of superhero, and that friends who help each other are priceless.
—via Stratford Schools
