Audible launches service offering free children’s audiobooks
A new service will open up a library of free audiobooks in response to coronavirus school closures
Audible has just made a large collection of children’s audiobooks free to listen to with the launch of Audible Stories: a new service helping children to “continue dreaming, learning, and just being kids”.
The Amazon-owned company recently announced that “For as long as schools are closed, we’re open.” From today, all stories will be free to stream on your desktop, laptop, tablet or phone without needing an Amazon account.
The Audible Stories collection spans across six different languages including French, Spanish, Italian, German and Japanese as well as English. Titles range from stories for the ‘littlest listeners’ – such as Winne-the-Pooh, Beatrix Potter and a collection of nursery rhymes – through to ‘Elementary’ and ‘Teen’ categories. Also available are literary classics such as Jane Eyre, Brave New World and – for those especially adventurous children – a 63-hour reading of Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged.
The launch of this new service comes as schools across the world are set to close as part of the response to the outbreak of COVID-19. From Today (20 March), all schools in the UK will close, with the government advising children to stay at home. The exception to this rule is those children who are considered vulnerable or the children of ‘key workers’ who are “critical to the COVID-19 response”.
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The situation regarding education is still unclear, and many schools are now offering online learning and homework packs for pupils. The launch of Audible Stories is thus aimed at making life easier for people affected by social distancing and school closures. It is not clear how long the service will be available for, yet there does not seem to be a foreseeable end date just yet. You can access Audible Stories via the link below.