Too Young for Audiobooks?

January 10, 2012

MCPL's Reading Aloud Family Time (RAFT) program is just beginning. Any family who would like to participate can pick out two chapter books to read together as a family. Once your two books are read, you will receive a copy of the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for your home library!

No time to read together? Don’t worry. This year, instead of taking the time to sit down and read chapter books together, you also have the option of listening to audiobooks together, which you can do on your way to and from daycare, school, music lessons, etc.

My five-year-old daughter, two-year-old son, and I just finished listening to Judy Blume’s Soupy Saturdays with the Pain and the Great One, which we checked out from the library and listened to in the car driving back and forth to our daycare. If you are not familiar with the story, it’s about the daily adventures of Abigail (a.k.a. The Great One) and her younger brother Jake (a.k.a. The Pain). The story alternates so you get to hear both kid’s perspective, which is quite fun. The audiobook is recommended for ages 5 and up, but I believe any preschooler would enjoy listening to it, especially those kids with older sisters or younger brothers! I’m not sure my two year old understood all of the events taking place. However, he seemed interested in the story, and we did have a great discussion about sibling rivalry, since both characters reveal that they each secretly believe their parents love the other sibling more.

Even if you’re not particularly interested in owning a copy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, there are a number of other great reasons to read aloud or listen together as a family:

• Kids build listening and comprehension skills, vocabulary, memory, and language skills.
• Kids are introduced to new places, ideas, perspectives, topics, etc.
• It’s a great way to spend time together and great books often lead to interesting discussions.
• It’s really fun!

There are lots of really good chapter books to choose from. One of my favorite lists is Best Read Aloud Chapter Books from GoodReads. It contains all of my favorites and a few more I plan on checking out.

If you’re listening to audiobooks, a good narrator is essential! Here’s a list of some of the best narrated kids audiobooks:

Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary (narrated by Neil Patrick Harris)
Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling (narrated by Jim Dale)
Peter and the Starcatchers Series by Dave Barry (narrated by Jim Dale)
Never Land Series by Dave Barry (narrated by Jim Dale)
Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series by Rick Riordan (narrated by Jesse Bernstein)
Floors by Patrick Carman (narrated by Jesse Bernstein)
Geronimo Stilton Series by Geronimo Stilton (narrated by Edward Herrmann)

Enjoy!

Kathy B.
Blue Springs North Branch