5 best free YouTube audiobooks for kids
Reading isn’t for everyone, but stories should be – they enrich our imagination, widen our understanding of the world and people around us and can provide us with endless entertainment.
So that’s why I’m writing this blog post on the best audiobooks I’ve found FOR FREE on YouTube. If you haven’t tried an Audiobook before I couldn’t recommend it enough. They’re accessible and engaging for any adult or child regardless of reading ability and a cracking way to consume a novel. What could be better than having an actor do the reading for you, bringing the voices of the characters to life, while you live your best hands-free life and let the pictures in your imagination wash over you?
I came across most of the choices below whilst writing the scripts for our Home Delivery Sessions, where (every week) we adapt a different classic story into an hour-long interactive storytelling session, complete with themed games, improvisations and drama exercises. To do so, and to give each story justice, I have to have read it myself. But with a quick turnaround, sometimes I just don’t have the time. So I’ve taken to YouTube on many an occasion to find a reading that I can ingest while on the go, cooking, exercising or doing the chores.
It’s fantastic because It’s free, no download needed and you can easily find a reading of any novel that is older than 70 years (and so within the Public Domain). Check out LibriVox Audiobooks’ and Greatest Audiobooks’ channels for the classics, but you might get lucky and find never titles or more famous readers with a bit of a search.
So here, in no particular order, are my top 5 recommendations for you to try out:
Lord of the Rings by Tolkien – read by Rob Inglis
Much to my frustration I’ve never managed to read further than The Fellowship of the Ring, the first book in the trilogy – I find the text too dense and lacking momentum for my taste – but I have fallen in love with the world of Tolkien’s fantasy epic thanks to Peter Jackson’s films and Tolkien’s children’s novel of the same setting (honourable mention to The Hobbit read by Andy Serkis which can also be found on YouTube!). So it was a relief to find this audiobook version so I could finally complete my Middle-Earth pilgrimage.
The soft tones of Rob Inglis have accompanied me to sleep for a few years now. And there is nothing better than nodding off with images of Frodo’s epic quest in your thoughts. There’s also hours and hours of it for you to fall asleep to!
Mary Poppins by P.L.Travers – read by Sophie Thompson
For the adults who have grown up loving the Disney film and are eager to have their children equally enthused, this reading by Sophie Thompson is for you! Not only was it fascinating to hear P.L.Travers’ original vision for her beloved childhood character, but the story is also vastly different from the film, so you’ll feel like you’re discovering it for the first time with or without your child. Then rewatch the film again straight after as I did and you’ll see all of the subtle hints to Travers’ original in there and the stark difference in Julie Andrews’ portrayal. Sophie Thompson is suitably well spoken and has wonderfully voiced all of the characters you will and won’t recognise. Perfect for bed time and helpfully split into 12 episodic chapters for when it’s time for lights-out.
The Twits by Roald Dahl – ready by Roger Blake
It’s just great. It’s no secret that every Roald Dahl book is great. Everyone (literally everyone you ask) has their favourite, but The Twits has to be mine. And if you liked this audiobook then you can easily find readings for all of Dahl’s other great great novels! Then there’s the easily read, wonderfully illustrated books as the next step when your child is hooked. THEN over 10 different filmic realisations of his fantastical characters and stories. Get stuck in!
Black Beauty by Anna Sewel
“His Grooms and Companions, the Autobiography of a Horse” (to give you its full, and descriptive title). It’s a wonderful, yet heartrending story of a horse’s life in the 1800s society which relied on horse labour to exist and thrive. It’s a classic, and one whose important message and outspoken position on animal welfare, I reckon, is a must for all children and even adults. The book can be a bit dense however. As its full title hints at, the writing is full of manners and extra words, as the style seemed to be in the late 1800s and, similar to The LOTR, the audiobook format really helped to relieve this problem for me.
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams – read by Douglas Adams
It’s not as old and arguably not as ‘classic’ as my other recommendations, but it’s one of my favourite books and It’s not very often you get the chance to listen to an audiobook read by the author, as you will with this if you go looking on Youtube! You won’t want to miss a beat of Douglas Adams’ hilarious, mind-blowing sci-fi comedy. This modern classic is recommended for ages 11+, it really stands out from the rest and is a great listen for both you and your child, maybe on a long drive this summer!
After all that inspiration, if you’ve still got room for yet more classic stories (of course you have!) then now’s the time to sign up for the new term of Creation Home Delivery. Our weekly sessions come live to your home, inspiring confidence, creativity and a love of stories in children from 5-16. Sign up online or email me if you have any questions.