Beauty of Audiobooks
As a mom and educator, I know that children thrive on structure and routine. One of my favorite parenting trick is listening to audiobooks. This is our favorite family car trip and quiet-time activity. Not only do audiobooks improve vocabulary and comprehension, but they are also highly entertaining too! I feel guilty if I let my kids watch too much TV or have too much screen time. Enter my favorite trick… audiobooks. Scroll down for a printable list of more than 60 books for all ages.
I’ve listed below our favorite audiobooks, and we have added to this overtime. Mom-tested and kid-approved for regular car rides, vacations, quiet-time activities, and parent sanity.
Listening to Books is Reading with Your Ears!
One thing I KNOW I’ve done right as a mom is introducing my children to audiobooks at an early age! We have listened to hundreds of books together in the car, and they’ve listened to hundreds more during quiet time / rest time. There isn’t much I can confidently say I’ve done right, but I DO know this has been enormously beneficial. My children LOVE books! Not only do they enjoy listening to them, but they like reading them too. Studies show that audiobooks increase vocabulary and comprehension, and I’ve seen it firsthand!
How Audiobooks Benefit Kids
- Vocabulary Improvement: Exposure to a wide range of words.
- Better Comprehension: Understanding complex stories and concepts.
- Entertainment: Engaging and fun for all ages.
- Multitasking: Great for car rides, quiet time, and even during chores.
Where to Get Audiobooks
- Public Library: Always our number one choice. Most libraries have an online program too
- Online Sources: Audible offers free audiobooks when you sign up. Click here to try it.
Scroll down to read the list or CLICK HERE to print a copy.
Listening to books is reading with your EARS!
Young Listeners
- Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel
- Ramona Quimby by Beverly Cleary
- Superfudge by Judy Blume
- Curious George by H.A. Rey and Margret Rey
- Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald
- Rabbit Ears – Tall Tales by Rabbit Ears Productions
- Mercy Watson Collection by Kate DiCamillo
- Arthur by Marc Brown
- Dr. Seuss by Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel)
- Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo
- Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Elementary Age Listeners
- The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
- The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
- Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
- Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
- Encyclopedia Brown by Donald J. Sobol
- Geronimo Stilton by Elisabetta Dami
- Stuart Little by E.B. White
- My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
- Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
- Nate the Great by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
- Magic Treehouse by Mary Pope Osborne
- A-Z Mysteries by Ron Roy
- Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
- Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
Upper Elementary
- Igraine the Brave by Cornelia Funke
- The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden
- Bunnicula by Deborah Howe and James Howe
- The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
- Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
- Felicity – All American Girl by Valerie Tripp
- Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
- Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke
- The Hardy Boys by Franklin W. Dixon
- Secrets of Droon by Tony Abbott
- 39 Clues by various authors
- Holes by Louis Sachar
- Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
- The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
- Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
- Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
- The Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop
- The Secret School by Avi
- Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien
- Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
Middle School
- The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull
- Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan
- The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann
- Airborn (series) by Kenneth Oppel
- The Giver (series) by Lois Lowry
- Ghost Knight by Cornelia Funke
- Kingdom Keepers by Ridley Pearson
- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
- The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
- Jasper Dash by M.T. Anderson
High School
- Steelheart (series) by Brandon Sanderson
- Michael Vey by Richard Paul Evans
- Agatha Christie Mysteries by Agatha Christie
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
CLICK HERE for your FREE printable copy
10 Reasons I love Audio Books for Kids:
- They keep my kids entertained during rest time.
- They have improved my children’s story comprehension and vocabulary.
- We listen in the car – on long trips and around town.
- They listen to books that are above their reading level.
- We listen to books that we might not have read on our own.
- They keep my kids from fighting in the car.
- Children enjoy listening to books over their independent reading level.
- They helped us transition from nap time to rest time.
- When we listen together we can discuss harder topics and discuss the book.
- Our public library has a great selection!! Which means f-r-e-e!
5 Simple Tips For Getting Your Child Reading
Summer Reading Graph: 1000 Minutes
Check out using closed captioning here
At what age did you allow your children to handle the book CDs from the library? My oldest is 4 and growing out of naptime. I’m not sure, though, that she’s mature enough to be responsible to take good care of the CDs. Hoping to use audiobooks for her rest time, but having trouble with the logistics of it. :/
Thanks,
Tiffany
Hi Tiffany! So frustrating when they outgrow nap time. 🙂 I polled my kids and they think it was around age 4 or 5 that they started taking CD’s out on their own. I only let them take out one CD at a time. We practiced many times on how to put the CD in, press the buttons, etc. You could put stickers on the buttons to help for navigation. It is so worth it! We’ve been doing this for 5+ years and my kids still look forward to quiet time, being in their rooms, and we all listen to stories in the car together. Great way to boost comprehension and vocabulary for the future. You’re doing the right thing mom! 🙂
Your timing is perfect! Thanks for the list of books. There’s lots of new ones we can try over our Christmas break!
Thanks Shirley! I’m glad you can use the books here. Let me know if you have more to add to the list. – Kristen
We’re big fans of Roald Dahl books! We especially like Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. They’re all so good. 🙂
Ooh – those are great additions Shirley! Thanks!
Our local library has the Boxcar Children Mysteries. We have listened to EVERY one. My kiddo loves mysteries. We also listened to every Magic Tree House book that our library has on cd.
Keitha – those are great too! I’ll add them to the list!
Hi! What website do you buy the audio books? My 4 year son loves the fairytale stories we listen to in the car. Any recommendations would be great! Thanks
Hi Eileen – we generally get all of our audio books from the library. We have used audible.com as a great paid resource too.
I have found heaps of audio books at our local library. I put them on my sons MP3 player for long car trips. We love this as he listens to the stories and talks to us about them – even though we have no idea what he is listening too. He also still looks out the window and talks to us about what he is seeing, plus he will fall asleep listening to the stories.
I am printing out this list and hoping to find some at the library to add to his collection.
These are GREAT thanks!!
Beth =-)
We love books on CD!! We listen to them all over town – the kids REQUEST them and my husband and I get time to TALK without interruption. Golden.
I know what you mean!! 🙂 We love them and it cuts down on the fighting in the car too!
We have just discovered audiobooks as a favorite family thing to do. We just took a vacation in New Hampshire and listened all the way. There are so many great books out there, from the classic kids tales to the Harry Potter collections. We have actually had a lot of fun listening to some of the lesser known authors. All The Little Foxes by Karen Elizabeth Russell is a good example if that. This is a story that flows a close friendship that starts to unravel as a new classmate gets thrown in the mix. My hubby and I actually were laughing just as hard as the kids with this one-just a great, great story.
Ooh! Thank you for this one. I didn’t know about All the Little Foxes. I will look for it next. Isn’t it a fun family bonding activity? We just started a new one together. It gives us all something common to talk about and makes great memories!
Hi there, Seasons Greetings. Would you like to try something new?Sunshine in your Suitcase is an album of 6 inspiring travel stories for children that I have written and narrated. You can listen to a sample on the website. The CD is available to purchase with free delivery.
Hope you have a fabulous 2019.
Best wishes,
Chris
http://www.sunshineinyoursuitcase.co.uk
When do you tend to listen to audio books and what do you do while listening to them. Unless it’s bedtime I can’t imagine my kids sitting and just listening!
Hi Sharon – Thanks for the question. We tend to listen to audio books during “rest time” (no one naps anymore) and on car rides. But during snow storms or quarantine, I’ve used them during quiet activities too (coloring, handwriting practice, puzzle making) and I’ve even used them during lunch! I call it a “reading lunch” …. then we can all take a break from talking to one another. That sounds bad as I’m typing it, but whew! Do whatever it takes to make you stay sane. Hope that helps!
Kristen