Winter Audiobooks (and More) for Kids

Ah, winter…Christmas parties, New Years resolutions, dashing through the snow to Grandma’s house with a minivan full of sugar-crazed kids.  What better time for a family audio book?!

Free Audiobooks

• Swan Lake by Storynory.  Some odd titles and story versions on this site (their Nutcracker doesn’t even include the Land of Sweets, the only part my kids really like!), but the production quality is better than most free audio recordings.  My girls quite enjoyed this particular recording.

• Stuart Little read by by E.B. White.  Found this one through an audio book lending library called Simple Audiobooks.  It’s a little like an audio book version of Netflix, but there is a 15-day free trial.  And I just love this book (except the ending–it should have been longer!).  I think it’s my favorite E. B. White book…no offense to Charlotte or her web.

• Little Women:  another audio book from Simply Audio.  I won’t list any more of their books, but there are number of other quality audio books you could get with a free trial: Narnia, Huckleberry Finn, etc.

• The Princess and the Goblin: a Librivox recording of George MacDonald’s novel for children.  The recording is simple, and the language rich….fine for kids 10 and up who are trained to listen with patience.

Audiobooks Worth Paying For

• Rabbit Ears Treasury of World Tales: Volume Five: Pinocchio, Tom Thumb.  The link here is a CD, but the second tale, Tom Thumb, is read with genius by John Cleese and can be downloaded via audible.com here.

• Screwtape Letters.  While we’re on the subject of John Cleese, this is one of Janie’s all-time favorites.

• Star Spangled Stories (Adventures in Odyssey): We haven’t really ventured into the Adventures in Odyssey as a family, but we’re dipping our toes in this Christmas with this CD.  If it turns out to be a worthwhile series, I’ll follow up soon.

• Prima Princessa: Swan Lake.  This is officially a DVD, but I often let my girls turn off the TV and just listen, which makes it an audiobook. : )   As much as I’m anti-TV generally for the youngest set, this resource is a great educational tool for kids ages 3-7.  It balances kids being silly and twirling around to the music, with real ballerinas performing Swan Lake.  Best of all, it has a narrator who acts like a parent, interpreting the ballet steps and the story on a child’s level.

• Pair the above with a good picture book version, and you’ve got a first class educational experience.  Here’s one my girls and I really like.  We check it out every few weeks from our library–fyi, it also includes an audio book as well:  DK Read & Listen: Illustrated Book of Ballet Stories (DK Read & Listen)

•  Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite.  While the Nutcracker is on everyone’s playlist, here’s a fun book/CD combo.  I HAVE NOT read it myself, but I would love to check it out (hint, hint, Santa).  I have to wonder if this may be the most boy-friendly Nutcracker presentation I’ve seen.

For more audio books, see our review of Family Storybook Treasury in Janie’s Picture Book Round-up, or R. C. Sproul’s The Barber Who Wanted to Pray (this can’t be downloaded anymore for free, but you can listen for free).  Also of interest: Rabbit Ears Audiobooks for Kids, and 10 Vacation Audiobooks for the Whole Family.

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