Audio

More diverse voices speaking out means more opportunities for representative stories to be acknowledged, shared, understood, celebrated, and honored, as evidenced in these 25 audio titles for young listeners.

Kwanzaa is an African American and pan-African holiday that celebrates family, community, and culture. These board books, picture books, and audiobooks will help young children learn more about it and get into the spirit of the holiday.

Among this year’s outstanding listens—with publication dates from November 2023 to October 2024—are two picture books, two volumes of a graphic trilogy (they count as one entry), a head-smack must-read history, and several laugh-out-loud novels. 

Music and sound effects can elevate an audiobook, but an authentic narrator is what makes for a stellar listening experience, librarians and industry experts say. 

Empathetic rapport, masterful pacing, pitch-perfect accents—it's all in a day's work for the top-notch talents behind audiobooks including "Horrible Harry," The Hate U Give, No Kimchi for Me!, All American Boys, and others.

Physical books that play narration can increase students' reading confidence. Parents also like the format as an alternative to digital devices.

This fantastic trio of audiobooks offers a picture book biography, a middle grade historical novel, and a propulsive YA sci-fi.

For July's Disability Pride Month and beyond, these 25 audiobooks featuring disabled characters are edifying and enlightening selections for elementary, middle grade, and YA listeners. 

Share student favorites with us as we report for an upcoming feature, "What Makes for a Great Audiobook?"