The COVID-19 pandemic has closed schools and forced families to stay at home, which is presenting some special challenges for parents of bored kids. Audible, the Amazon-owned audiobook producer and retailer, wants to help.
The company announced that it’s launching an initiative called Audible Stories, which will provide free content aimed at children and families.
“From our Audible family to the millions of families around the globe facing unforeseen circumstances, Audible Stories can transport listeners of every reading level while we hunker down at home,” the company said in a news release. “For the parents of young children striving to keep the littlest listeners engaged, Audible Stories offers beloved classics for beginning readers.”
The company’s free offerings are broken down into several categories including “Littlest Listeners,” which contains stories by A.A. Milne and Beatrix Potter, and “Teen,” which offers books by C.S. Lewis, Ransom Riggs, and H.P. Lovecraft. There’s also a category for literary classics, which includes novels by Aldous Huxley, Jack London, and Willa Cather.
The stories aren’t limited to English. Listeners can stream books in Spanish, Italian, French, German, and Japanese.
“From the beginning, Audible has become part of millions of peoples’ lives as a voice that can be an antidote to loneliness and isolation,” the company said. “We hope this initiative can help inspire and transport.”
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
