My girls listen to audiobooks pretty regularly. Some listen when they are falling asleep at night (always to the same story, so it doesn’t keep them up waiting to find out what happens next). They also listen if we have rest time or when they are cleaning their rooms or sometimes just hanging out. We also started listening to them in the car on longer drives. Our daily short distance drives are usually reserved for podcasts or music. I’ve made a list of some of the ones we listen to on repeat and have all enjoyed as a family.
1. Henry Huggins — We listened to this last year on the way to and from Niagara Falls and we all loved it, especially the ones that are read by Neil Patrick Harris. I don’t know that Matt or I had ever read the Henry Huggins books and we enjoyed them just as much as the kids. While we initially borrowed it from the library, we now own it so we can listen to it again and again. You can purchase the whole collection together from audible.
2. Ramona Quimby — This is another collection of all of the Ramona books and the girls listen to this over and over again. We started listening to it on the drive home from Niagara last year and have continued to listen to bits and pieces on other drives this year.
3. Molly, the American Girl — While we own almost all of the American Girl books and audiobooks, Molly is by the far the most popular in our house. Felicity listens to it every night before bed and always is asking questions about the story. It has definitely taught them some history as well as their favorite “I see London, I see France, I see Ricky’s underpants.”
4. Pippi Longstocking — We all love Pippi and all of her antics. We have read the chapter books aloud (although I don’t think Felicity remembers them) and watched the 1980s version of the movie. The audiobook is great and it’s a favorite around here. My only request is that they make the rest of the Pippi stories available on audio!
5. Anna Hibiscus — Anna Hibiscus is another favorite book around here, both as a read-aloud and an audiobook. Anna lives in Africa, amazing Africa and experiences live with a loud, large African multi-generational family all living together.
6. Beverly Cleary Audio Collection — Can you tell we are Beverly Cleary fans? This collection has most of her other books that aren’t part of a full series. The girls favorite is probably Mitch and Amy, but they listen to a variety of them.
Do you listen to audiobooks? I always check our library system to see if they are available and borrow from there first. If there is an especially good audible sale then I might buy before listening. We signed up for a free audible subscription just to get Henry Huggins and Ramona Quimby since they are pricey and not often on sale.
What are your favorite audiobooks to listen to as a family?
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