Reading Tips: Audiobooks!

Audiobooks are books too! I've watched the great debate online in articles and through polls in stories for years - do audiobooks count as reading? Does listening to a book count as reading? Our vote is a firm YES!

Pairing OwlCrate Jr books with the audiobook version is a match made in bookish heaven. I have a wide age range of readers in my home, and as a way for us all to share stories that arrive in OwlCrate Jr boxes together, we regularly turn to audiobooks. On our commute to school, on summer road trips, to set the seasonal tone or to help build confidence in reading, audiobooks bring us together much like reading aloud.

If you have a house full of independent readers, you might be surprised at their response to audiobooks. There may be a little resistance, but once the story gets going, they will be hooked. It brings back the closeness of days when picture books were enjoyed in warm laps.

For younger readers, play is highly encouraged. When we started listening audiobooks, my youngest two boys were four and six. They happily played with Lego while we all listened along, which was the same approach we had when reading aloud —busy hands can still listen and be engaged! Think of how our children multitask on computers these days. Audiobooks help disconnect from tech but reconnect the imagination.

It has also helped my reluctant reader enjoy books with more confidence. Reading along with a book while listening can help with word recognition and pronunciation. It can allow struggling readers to feel like they can keep up while also enjoying the book, instead of worrying over decoding and getting lost in the story.

Ask any educator, what makes a good reader? Practice, and lots of reading. The more enjoyable the experience, the more likely children will grow up to love books.

We have listened to Nightbooks by J.A. White a total of 4 times. The narrator is incredible and we love to go back to it every October for a terrific spooky read.

These are some of our favorite OwlCrate Jr audiobooks (and their terrific narrators!):

Aru Shah series narrated by Soneela Nan

Nevermoor series narrated by Gemma Whelan

Nightbooks narrated by Kirby Heyborne

Arlo Finch series narrated by James Cronin

City Of Ghosts series narrated by Reba Buhr

The Girl and the Ghost narrated by Mirai Booth-Ong

Where to find them:

Overdrive (This app can often be accessed for free through your library system)

Hoopla

Libro.fm (You can choose to support your local independent bookstore when purchasing audiobooks from Libro.fm)

Audible

Do you have a favorite audiobook? Let us know in the comments!

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