Free Audiobooks for Yoto by Age

There are thousands of free audiobooks for kids. That's the good news and the problem. Most of them are old, some are wonderful, and a few will put a seven-year-old off audiobooks for a month.

These picks come from the shelves we built for Little Vox, sorted into the same three age groups the app uses. Every one is a free recording from LibriVox, where volunteers read books that are out of copyright. Where we know who reads the version in the app, we've named them, because the reader makes a big difference.

Ages 0 to 5

At this age, shorter is better. Look for books made of small stories, ten or fifteen minutes each, with animals, repetition and a bit of silliness. A whole book can be long as long as each piece fits one bedtime.

Old Mother West Wind, by Thornton W. Burgess

Gentle stories about Peter Rabbit, Reddy Fox, Jimmy Skunk and the rest of the Green Meadows crowd. Burgess wrote hundreds of these, and they're perfect bedtime length. Laurie Anne Walden reads it. If it's a hit, The Adventures of Reddy Fox and The Adventures of Buster Bear (both read by John Lieder) are next.

Little Wizard Stories of Oz, by L. Frank Baum

Baum wrote these short Oz stories for younger children, so they're a gentler way in than the full Wizard of Oz. Dorothy, Toto, the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger all turn up.

Just So Stories, by Rudyard Kipling

How the Elephant Got His Trunk, How the Camel Got His Hump, and the rest. Kipling wrote them to be read aloud, and you can tell. The recording in the app is Kara Shallenberg's.

The Aesop for Children

Very short fables, a minute or two each, with a clear lesson at the end. Good for kids who can't sit through anything long yet.

Uncle Wiggily's Travels, by Howard R. Garis

An old rabbit gentleman with rheumatism, a crutch and a talent for getting into scrapes. Every story ends with a silly teaser about the next one, which makes "just one more" very tempting.

A Child's Garden of Verses, by Robert Louis Stevenson

Short poems about bedtime, rain, shadows and swings. Lovely for the last few minutes before lights out.

Ages 6 to 10

This is the sweet spot for classic audiobooks. Kids can follow a real chapter book now, and they love being read to long after they can read on their own. Funny books and adventure stories do best.

The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame

Mole, Rat, Badger and the completely unreasonable Mr. Toad. The Toad chapters are what kids remember. Mark F. Smith reads it.

The Story of the Treasure Seekers, by E. Nesbit

Six siblings try to rescue the family's fortunes with one terrible scheme after another. The narrator is one of the children, who keeps insisting you won't be able to guess which one. Karen Savage reads it.

The Box-Car Children, by Gertrude Chandler Warner

Four orphaned children set up home in an old boxcar in the woods. Kids love how they make do with what they find. This is the original 1924 version, which is a little different from the one in most school libraries.

Heidi, by Johanna Spyri

A girl sent to live with her gruff grandfather in the Swiss mountains. Slower than the others here, but a lot of kids get completely attached to it. Kara Shallenberg reads this one too.

The Reluctant Dragon, by Kenneth Grahame

A dragon who would much rather write poetry than fight anyone, and a boy who has to sort it all out. Short enough for one or two nights. Another Mark F. Smith reading.

The early Hardy Boys

The first Hardy Boys books are now in the public domain. The House on the Cliff, The Secret of the Old Mill and Hunting for Hidden Gold are all there for kids who like a mystery.

The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams

Short enough to listen to in one sitting, and good for any age. Marlo Dianne reads it.

Ages 10 to 14

Older kids can handle full-length novels, including some that were written for adults. Long books are fine now, but it helps if something happens in the first chapter.

Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson

A scarred old sailor turns up at an inn with a sea chest, and from there it doesn't let up. Probably the best adventure story on this list.

The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett

A spoiled, lonely girl finds a locked garden and slowly comes back to life along with it. Kids who liked Heidi tend to love this.

The Call of the Wild, by Jack London

Told from the point of view of a dog stolen and sold into the Yukon gold rush. Short, gripping, and rough in places, so worth knowing if your kid is sensitive about animals getting hurt.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle

Twelve separate cases, each one a complete story. Great for car trips, because you can finish one before you get there.

Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott

Four sisters growing up during the Civil War. The first half can feel slow to some kids, but the ones who stick with it usually go on to Little Men and Eight Cousins.

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, by Jules Verne

For kids who like machines and the ocean. If it lands, The Mysterious Island (Mark F. Smith again) is just as good.

A few tips before you start

The reader matters as much as the book. LibriVox readers are volunteers and they vary a lot. If a recording doesn't click, try a different one before you give up on the book. In Little Vox you can play a one-minute preview before you send anything to the Yoto.

Every chapter starts with a short notice. Free LibriVox recordings open each chapter with "This is a LibriVox recording..." It only lasts a few seconds, and most kids learn to wait it out. If it bugs you, look for a Little Vox Premium edition, which cuts it.

Ages are a rough guide. Plenty of six-year-olds love Treasure Island, and plenty of twelve-year-olds still want Burgess at bedtime. Go with your kid.

For more on why some old books work so well out loud and others don't, see classic audiobooks kids will actually listen to.