One of my goals in life is to turn my kids into bibliophiles. (Is that a bad word?) Anyway, I want them to love books and reading.

Lydia is already a book lover. When she was about two, she’d sit on the floor with a pile of books next to her. She’d look through them one at a time then set them in a pile on the other side of her lap.

I’m hoping to develop the same love of reading and books in Asa. One way I do this is with audio books. I’m not a huge music person myself, but I do get bored in the car. So, I love listening to audio books. Not only are they entertaining, I think they help little ears and minds learn to recognize good literature! (That is, if you let them listen to good literature!)

So, here are my TOP TEN FAVORITE AUDIO BOOKS FOR KIDS. I have to say though, I haven’t listened to many more than these. A better title might be THE TOP TEN AUDIO BOOKS FOR KIDS I’VE ACTUALLY LISTENED TO.

1. Disney Fairies

Lydia has been gaga over Tinkerbell and the Disney Fairies for awhile now. It’s my fault, I’m sure. I mean, I did give her a fairy party when she was 1. Anyway, I randomly picked this up thinking it would be fun for her. And I was right! Each CD-book is actually two full chapter books. They are pretty formula and kinda cartoon sitcom-ish, but not too weird or PC. I actually enjoyed them. I kinda like that whole fairy world anyway. Each book is read by a different actor. So, that’s kind of weird since we’ve listened to about six of them. But still, every actor was good and did great voices for each character. Our favorite was Lily’s Pesky Plantread by Ashley Albert.

2. The Secret Garden

This is actually the Radio Theater version and it is LOVELY. The Secret Garden was the first “real” book I ever read as a kid. When I saw this version at the library I knew Lydia would like it. We popped it in the CD player and were immersed in the story! I had forgotten most of the story and was crying at the end! It made me want to read the whole book again. Radio Theater is a dramatized version of the book with full cast and sound effects. More interesting than a movie in my opinion!

3. Socks

I loved Beverly Cleary as a child but had never read Socks. So, when I saw this one was narrated by…wait for it…Neil Patrick Harris, well, I just had to get it! I’m not always impressed with “celebrity” readers but he was great. Lydia didn’t love it but did think the cat was funny. I think she got a little bored because the action is all in a house and a lot of the dialogue was from the cat’s perspective. But it’s a funny cute book about a baby intruding on Sock’s perfect family.

4. Adventures in Odyssey

OK, so this isn’t exactly an audio book. But I ADORE Adventures in Odyssey and it’s very much LIKE an audiobook. Odyssey is a radio program (similar to Radio Theater above) with a full cast of awesome voices (including Hal Smith from Andy Griffith, Townsend Coleman who voices The Tick and Alan Young who is Scrooge McDuck!). Each adventure follows the inhabitants of a small town called Odyssey.

5. Harry Potter

I loved the first Harry Potter book so much I read it to Les on one of our many road trips when we first got married. Soon, we discovered Cracker Barrel has audio books for rent (like $3!), so we picked up Harry Potter and were HOOKED. It’s read by the DELICIOUS Jim Dale and seriously, he could read the phone book and I’d listen. His Snape is outstanding, as is his McGonogall. In fact, I hear his voice doing McGonogall when I read the books. A must for Harry fans.

6. The Penderwicks

I had never read the Penderwicks before. I have to say I picked the audio version up because the cover was cute. (It is, isn’t it?) And I loved it! Susan Denaker’s voices are just perfect–her sweetness added to the ambiance of the story.

7. Pippi Longstocking

I could have sworn I read this book as a kid. But after listening to it, I realized I had not. Lydia loved this book. She thought it was hilarious. I loved it so much I ended up buying Lauren Child’s version. Isn’t it pretty?

8. Radio Theatre: Chronicles of Narnia

Did you think I could make a list about kids’ books and not include these? These are the Radio Theatre versions and are simply breathtaking. If you are a Narnia fan or not, a child or an adult, you should listen to these. We’ve listened to them several times with Lydia. There are a few battle scenes in each one so if you have very young kids, those parts might be too much. Lydia wasn’t scared by them, just confused. My favorite is…well, all of them.

9. Peter Pan

I decided to listen to this book because it’s read by JIM DALE. If you could have a crush on a voice, I’d have one on his. Of course, my only experience with the story of Peter Pan was from the Disney movie. And like any book/movie, the book is so much better! I really liked it! It was much more fantastical than the movie and sometimes even a little odd. In all honesty, I don’t think we finished listening to it because Lydia got a little bored in the descriptions. But it made me want to read the book.

10. I don’t have a tenth. We did listen to about five minutes of a Junie B. Jones book but I turned it off because she (Junie) was rude, rebellious and disobedient in the first five seconds. I didn’t like the words she was using—and as the heroine of the book, I didn’t want Lydia to imitate. I need to pick up the book and read it to see how/if Junie changes.

If you know a good kids’ audio book, leave a comment for me! I’d love to find some new ones!

I think for an audio book to really interesting to kids, it needs to have a reader that doesn’t just READ, but one who does voices. This is what really captures Lydia’s attention. We listened to Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg which is the original Tinkerbell book. It’s read by a woman with a delightful voice–but she didn’t do any voices. Lydia kept saying, “When are the other fairies going to talk?” She just didn’t get it.

Well, that’s my two ten cents! Let’s hear your Top Ten for today! Write a post on your own blog, link up below with your PERMALINK, then visit and comment on the rest of the Top Ten participants!

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