'The best books, reviewed with insight and charm, but without compromise.'
- author Jackie French

Friday 3 February 2012

Guest Post: The Benefits of Audiobooks for Children

Kids Book Review welcomes freelance writer and audio book advocate Peter Markovic, with his thoughts on the ways children can benefit by downloading audio books online.

We all know that kids love stories, even toddlers. Most youngsters will be drawn into a good tale of comedy or drama. Audio books for children offer an affordable and convenient way for them to take their stories with them, and use their imaginations, even when an older person is not available to read aloud to them.

Narrated books are available in every genre as an audio books subscription service for kids of all ages, professional readers make sure that the topic is narrated in a fun and easy listening style. Audio books for toddlers particularly will often use many voices and sound effects that help to keep the child interested and entertained.

Modern MP3 players are very affordable and easy to use and allow children to listen to their favorite books anywhere. They act as a particularly welcome diversion for children when travelling. Modern media buyers have a huge file capacity allowing a good size library of digital books stored in the unit and, when coupled with a set of ear buds or headphones, allow the child to listen without disturbing anyone else.

Entertaining and Educational

But talking books are good for more than only simple entertainment; when listening to a narrated book, children are able to hear how words are pronounced and used in context. This is particularly true when following along reading a printed version of the book while listening, a method employed by many teachers in schools. 

 

Readily Accessible

Digital books are easily downloaded to a portable media player; many volumes of both educational and entertaining books can be stored in a digital format, without the normal problems associated with paper books.

No Fuss Storage

They are space-saving, without the bulk and weight of traditional books. In addition, you need not endure any more dog-eared, ripped, missing pages, or even books that have gone missing all together.

Easy to Backup and Store

Audiobooks are easily backed up so that even if the playback and storage device is lost or unusable, the original audio book mp3 data can be easily and quickly restored to another device. If a different type of device were to be used which requires a different audio format, conversion software is available to convert the audio into the correct type of mp3 books format for the new device.

Easy to Browse and Download

If a young person is in your life that loves to learn, or has a love for any one given subject, an audio title to please him or her is bound to be available. In some cases one can even find many free audio books that will inform and educate your young listener.

Category Ideas

There is a variety of inexpensive audio books available for children that can educate and engage. Take a look at some examples:

Science:

The Kid Who Invented the Popsicle: And Other Surprising Stories about Inventions may inspire your young listener to experiment with his own unique creation. There is a complete series of books called Science Secrets that has titles for informative subjects as light, sounds, wind and more. There are also audiobooks about great scientists of the past, such as Leonardo da Vinci.

History and Biography:

Many children are fascinated by “true stories” and will enjoy listening to a title like King for Kids, which features the life and speeches of Martin Luther King Jr. There are short biographies of famous people available that will appeal to even primary-aged listeners. These include books about Paul Revere, Wyatt Earp, and Jesse James among many others.

Health, Safety and Sports

Young athletes can learn about their favorite sports stars, get tips and tricks for staying healthy and active by listening to books like Think It: Healthy Eating and Exercise –Age 4-11. There is also vital information in books such as Kids: How to Stay Safe.

Inspirational Books

Heaven for Kids can go a long way toward answering the questions children ask about the meaning of life. Some examples are Bedtime Meditations for Kids and Bible stories recorded in special audio formats that will appeal to youngsters of all ages. The title Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul will offer inspiration for young people in the 9-13 age range. Timeless classics through to today’s modern audio and learning tools, the best children s audio books are specifically designed to not only educate, but entertain also.

Peter Markovic is a freelance writer and publisher. He can be found on his audio book community where he shares his passion for digital books and their advantages.