Throughout history, stories have been passed down through generations. The oral tradition of storytelling has evolved into audio books.
Many people’s first experience of reading a book is with a parent, carer or a teacher, therefore many people find that tuning into a story provides calm and comfort. Listening to a story provides a fantastic opportunity to build on active listening skills, it provides exposure to different accents and dialects and can help to boost mood by reducing stress and anxiety by transporting the reader into another world. Narrators can make the story come alive!
They are the ideal accompaniment to a car journey, coach journey or a flight.
The National Literacy Trust have created recommendations for fiction and non-fiction audiobooks that will help children aged 0 to 11 countdown to Christmas.
The Snow Queen
The Snow Queen is a fairy tale classic which many children might be familiar with already! Let it go this festive season and settle down to enjoy this wonderful story with all the family. Follow Gerda on her perilous journey to rescue her best friend Kai from the icy clutches of the Snow Queen.
Suitable for children aged 7 to 11.
The Penguin Who Wanted to Find Out
Written by Jill Tomlinson, narrated by Maureen Lipman
The Penguin Who Wanted to Find Out is another timeless classic from the beloved author of The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark. We recommend this equally endearing tale of a curious penguin on a mission to find out more about the wintry Antarctic world around him.
Suitable for children aged 3 to 7.
Diary of a Christmas Elf
Written and narrated by Ben Miller
Tasked with making a new toy for his sibling leads Tog to a dream job in Santa’s workshop. But can he save Christmas Eve? We love this wonderfully funny story by actor and comedian Ben Miller. Expect laughter and moments of great warmth and adventure from his bestseller.
Suitable for children aged 6 to 10.
A Boy Called Christmas
Written by Matt Haig, narrated by Stephen Fry
A Boy Called Christmas is an hilarious tale of Nikolas, a boy from Finland who travels to Elfhelm to find his father, and discovers love, hope and magic along the way. Prepare to hear your child laugh out loud as they listen along.
Suitable for children aged 7 to 10.
The Very Merry Murder Club
Written and narrated by a variety of authors
Abiola Bello, Annabelle Sami, Benjamin Dean, Sharna Jackson and Serena Patel are just some of the 13 authors who have contributed to this collection of wintery crime and mystery stories. “Ballerinas are extremely difficult to kill”, reads the opening of the first story in a collection that also includes a missing cat in a pizza-strewn crime scene and a tonsil-less murder witness. Fabulous festive fun for young crime fans.
Suitable for children aged 8 to 12.
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
Written by Joan Aiken, narrated by Lizza Aiken
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase is a much-loved tale, first published in the 1960s, that follows the adventures of cousins Sylvia and Bonnie. Families will want to curl up by a roaring fire with a cup of hot chocolate and listen to the howling wind, snow, and wolves outside.
Suitable for children aged 9 to 11.
The Truth About Mrs Claus
Written and narrated by Meena Harris
What does Mrs Claus do at Christmas? Do we even know her first name? A fun and empowering tale about a fourth-generation teddy bear maker and a wise woman with a story to tell.
Suitable for children aged 4 to 8.
Mrs Kewley recommends:
The Christmasaurus
Tom Fletcher has reinvented his famous book “The Christmasaurus” and transformed it into a fabulous picture book for younger readers.
Santa and his reindeer live as north as you can go,
in a place that’s full of magic (and quite a lot of snow!).
But Santa and his reindeer do not live there on their own,
for there’s a special dinosaur that also calls it home . . .
The Christmasaurus wants more than anything to be able to fly, and help pull Santa’s sleigh across the sky on Christmas Eve. But flying turns out to be much harder than he thought, even with Santa’s help! One special Christmas, however, he falls down a chimney and meets a dinosaur-obsessed little boy who teaches him the magic of believing . . .
Written and narrated by Tom Fletcher
Suitable for children aged 0 to 8.
