Reading aloud to toddlers is a wonderful way to help them develop vocabulary, listening skills, creativity, and empathy. And they love it! Why not consider sharing your child’s story time with audiobooks? When a narrator does the reading, you and your little one can listen together while eating dinner, getting ready for a bath, winding down for a nap, riding in the car, or simply snuggling. To get you started, here are a few parent-approved audiobooks sure to delight your toddler or preschooler.
Join Laurie Berkner, the Laurie Berkner Band, Thelonius Pig, and friends for hours of fun and discovery. In this Audible Original, Laurie and her pig pal (played by Josiah Gaffney) explore all different kinds of yummy foods, sing songs, and go on adventures in the magical world of Juniper Fields. While deliciously entertaining, Laurie Berkner’s Song and Story Kitchen aims to help young listeners learn about food, art, culture, friendship, and emotions. Singing along is highly encouraged—research has shown that music improves a child’s memory, cognitive development, and learning skills. As an extra treat, this audiobook comes with a PDF of all the recipes mentioned in the stories. Like the smash hit debut, the encore audiobook features new original music, along with some of the band's greatest hits, and more tasty recipes.
A bestselling and long-treasured children's classic, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? is an enchanting audiobook. Academy Award-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow narrates, beautifully capturing the repetition and rhyme that help make the story more memorable and enjoyable for young listeners. Rhyme helps toddlers learn how language and sounds work, while repetition offers comfort and helps toddlers grasp and retain information.
Jane Yolen's beloved children's book is enhanced in its audiobook form with dreamy music and an emotive reading by the author herself. It tells the story of a young girl searching the forest with her father in the hopes of finding the Great Horned Owl. There's much to learn from this Caldecott Medal-winning classic. Most notably, Owl Moon emphasizes the value in patience and the wonders of nature.
Activist and Empire actor Grace Byers narrates the audiobook version of her beloved bestselling children's book. Lyrical and uplifting, I Am Enough teaches young children some of the most important life lessons: love and value yourself, respect others, and be kind to one another.
What, a children's book with no pictures? Well, that sounds like the perfect audiobook! In fact, The Book with No Pictures is all about sounds. Author B.J. Novak and narrator Busy Philipps deliver a clever and super fun listen for toddlers who love playing with different noises. And there's a serious side to the silliness: playing with sounds helps toddlers learn phonics and develop language skills!
It’s never too early to start preparing your toddler for school life. The King of Kindergarten is the perfect audiobook for toddlers who might be a little nervous about the next step. Newbery Honor-winning author Derrick Barnes encourages young listeners to see themselves in the story's hero, a confident little boy, and his enthusiasm for starting school and seizing every opportunity. He is the King of Kindergarten, after all!
Red is a crayon who is supposed to be the same color as his name, but something about him is ... well, unusual. Red: A Crayon's Story is a fun audiobook that's sure to spark thoughtful conversations between parents and their toddlers about the joy of colors and celebrating the sometimes surprising differences in each and every one of us. Oh, and it's read by Audie Award-winning narrator Robin Miles.
If you've got a shy toddler, try listening to The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson, narrated with warmth and heart by the National Book Award-winning author herself. In this book, Woodson reminds young listeners that everyone has felt like an outsider at times. There will be times when you walk into a room and feel like no one is quite like you, and it's okay if that makes you feel shy or nervous. But when you find the courage to face these scary situations, you just might meet someone who's happy to reach out and help.
Kids shouldn't have to wait until they get older to learn about antiracism. That's why Ibram X. Kendi, National Book Award-winning author and father, wrote Antiracist Baby. Listening to this book together invites parents and children to discuss how to make equity a reality, starting with nine easy steps, written in a way that even the youngest children can understand. For instance, Kendi warmly encourages children to open their eyes to all colors and see people as human.
Known to older kids and parents as Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter films, award-winning English actress and singer Imelda Staunton is the perfect voice to capture the rhymes and whimsy of Julia Donaldson’s tall tale. To avoid becoming lunch to hungry animals in the woods, a clever little mouse invents a scarier predator—a creature with terrible claws and tusks, turned-out toes, and a poisonous wart at the end of its nose. Mouse has nothing to worry about. After all, there’s no such thing as gruffalo—or is there? The Gruffalo features a song and a read-along track, and its legend lives on in a companion volume.
Does your toddler love learning about animals? Then they'll love Monkey Puzzle, the story of a young monkey who's lost in the jungle and looking for his mum. Thankfully, a kind butterfly has offered to help. But they keep finding the wrong animals! Imelda Staunton lends her gifted voice to the audiobook version, which, yes, features a delightful song.
How can one tiny, restless flea cause such a great commotion among a bunch of sleeping creatures? The Napping House tells a simple but hilarious story sure to capture the imagination of little ones while delighting parents.
Oge Mora's Caldecott Honor-winning Thank You, Omu! is a heartwarming story that will teach toddlers the value of sharing and generosity. Everyone in the neighborhood wants a taste of Omu's stew. But when Omu offers everyone a portion of her meal, she soon realizes there's none left for her to eat. Has she been too generous after all? This book was inspired by the strong women role models in the author's life, and it's read by LaQuita James, a prolific narrator who's also a certified speech-language pathologist.
If your toddler is fascinated by the night sky, they'll be over the moon for this listen. Author Grace Lin offers up a whimsical origin story for all the phases of the moon. Little Moonstar loves the mooncakes she bakes with her mama. She knows she's not supposed to take a bite just yet, but would it hurt to just have a little nibble? The audiobook features a lovely music track behind the narration to complement the tale's fantastical, dreamy tone.
While nothing beats om-nom-nomming cookies, solving mysteries with his Sesame Street friends might be Cookie Monster’s second-favorite treat. This fun and engaging podcast offers eight bite-sized cases to keep little ones following along as our sweet-toothed amateur detective asks questions, uncovers clues, and puts the pieces together. A full cast of talented voice actors builds suspense while putting the sleuthing skills of Cookie and other beloved characters—Grover, The Count, Elmo, Oscar, Big Bird, Bert, Ernie, and Abby—to the test.
Matt De La Pena's Last Stop on Market Street gently teaches young children to see the beauty and fun in everyday places and routines. As CJ rides the bus across town with his grandma, he wonders aloud why he doesn't have the same things other boys do. Why doesn't his family have a car? Why doesn't he have an iPod? Each of his questions is met with an encouraging answer from his grandma. This story reminds both parents and children to focus on and appreciate the gifts all around us.
