All kids loves stories, but not all kids love reading them themselves, which why you might want to give these audiobooks a go.
Listen to literature with our pick of audiobooks that families in the UAE can download.
Harry Potter
By: J.K. Rowling.
Narrated by: Jim Dale.
Length: Eight hours and 18 minutes.
Best for: Ages nine and above.
There are so many ways to enjoy this series of books about wizard, Harry Potter and his friends at Hogwarts and audiobook is as good as any. A great one for long car journeys, it has a mixture of humour, suspense and mystery. Plus parents love it as much as the kids.
Inkheart
By: Cornelia Funke.
Narrated by: Lynn Redgrave.
Length: 15 hours and 34 minutes.
Best for: Ages nine and above.
Read by award-winning actress Lynn Redgrave, who makes the characters come alive just as they do in the story, this is a story that will entertain the whole family. It follows a father and daughter as one of their books suddenly springs to life in their home, bringing with it an evil ruler they must defeat. It’s long though, so you’ll have to eek it out over a few days, or even weeks.
Matilda
By: Roald Dahl.
Narrated by: Kate Winslet.
Length: Four hours and 18 minutes.
Best for: Ages six and above.
British actress Kate Winslet does some hilarious voices that the little ones will love, and being one of Roald Dahl’s most loved children’s books, the whole family will want to listen to it over and over again.
Charlotte’s Webb
By: E.B. White.
Narrated by: E.B. White, George Plimpton.
Length: Three hours and 34 minutes.
Best for: Ages ten and above.
This is a children’s classic that has withstood the test of time having first been released in 1953. It has been made into cartoons and films and is a story about a spider called Charlotte who befriends a piglet called Wilbur, who she subsequently helps avoid slaughter. It’s a trip down memory lane for mums and dads while being a gorgeous story that the kids will love too.
The Hobbit
By: J. R. R. Tolkien.
Narrated by: Rob Inglis.
Length: 11 hours and five minutes.
Best for: Ages eight and above.
This is a classic, but it’s a hard read for kids, who will often get put off by the sheer number of pages and the difficult language (Tolkien invented numerous languages including Elvish) used. This all makes it the perfect audiobook for children to listen to.
Pax
By: Sara Pennypacker.
Narrated by: Michael Curran-Dorsano.
Length: Five hours and 32 minutes.
Best for: Ages eight to 12.
This may be a lesser known children’s story, but one that is so deeply moving and touching, it ought to be on every child’s reading list. The book is about a 12-year-old boy and his pet fox caught up in an increasingly dystopian nightmare It’s not an easy read (or rather, listen) and parents should know that some of the narrative may be too much for sensitive kids, but the story does offer strong positive messages about doing what you know to be right and fixing mistakes you may have made.
The Lightning Thief: Percy Jackson and the Olympians
By: Rick Riordan.
Narrated by: Jesse Bernstein.
Length: Ten hours and two minutes.
Best for: Ages ten and above.
This is a cool, action-packed story based on Greek mythology. The hero of the story is 12-year-old Percy Jackson who embarks on a dangerous quest to catch a thief who has stolen the original weapon of mass destruction – Zeus’ master bolt. If you’re wondering what Greek gods even sound like, you’ll be pleasantly thrilled and surprised.
The Magic Faraway Tree
By: Enid Blyton.
Narrated by: Kate Winslet.
Length: Three hours and 47 minutes.
Best for: Ages six and above.
This is the second book in Enid Blyton’s much loved Magic Faraway Tree series. Read by Kate Winslet, the story follows four siblings who move to a new home and discover an enchanted wood with a magic tree in it. The adventures they have with the crazy inhabitants who live in the tree and in the world’s they discover at the top, makes for excellent family listening.
The House at Pooh Corner
By: A.A. Milne.
Narrated by: Peter Dennis.
Length: Three hours and 12 minutes.
Best for: Ages four and above.
Ideal for the littlest listeners, this collection of stories follows Pooh and the crew around the Hundred Acre Wood – Eeyore gets a house, Tigger is introduced, Piglet is very brave, and the game of Poohsticks is invented, just to name a few.
The Lion, the With and the Wardrobe
By: C. S. Lewis.
Narrated by: Michael York.
Length: Four hours and 21 minutes.
Best for: Ages nine and above.
The inaugural tale in the Chronicles of Narnia series, it follows the four Pevensie siblings into the magical world of Narnia for the first time. Emmy-nominated British actor Michael York uses different character voices, intonation and accents.
The Magic Treehouse
By: Mary Pope Osborne.
Narrated by: Mary Pope Osborne.
Length: Six hours and one minute.
Best for: Ages five to seven.
There are eight stories in this collection and all are as endearing as the other. Jack and Annie encounter different scenarios and meet various characters every time they venture up the tree into their magic treehouse including dinosaurs, knights, mummies and pirates.
The World’s Worst Children
By: David Walliams.
Narrated by: David Walliams, Nitin Ganatra.
Length: Two hours and 51 minutes.
Best for: Ages five to seven.
The books are brilliant, laugh out loud funny and totally addictive, but having Walliams narrate the tales of vile children who do everything from pick their noses to collecting belly button fluff, makes it all the more comical. We challenge you not to listen to the whole book in one go! And once you’re done, you can download and listen to any of Walliams’ other books – all are genius and kids love them.
And click here for some cool educational apps for kids.
Books are available on www.audible.com and www.audiobooks.com.
