Curated collection

Children’s Stories

Fairy tales, animal stories, fantasy and adventures from classic children’s literature. These older texts vary in tone and include difficult material; the notes flag some surprises for family listening.

20 free audiobooks, about 103 hours

  1. Listen in MyVoxBox: Winnie-the-Pooh (Version 2)

    Winnie-the-Pooh (Version 2)

    Why it is here Ten Pooh adventures, with an introduction, offer familiar characters, gentle comic predicaments and natural stopping places.

    A charming collection of 10 relaxing tales, come along into the Forest as Winnie-the-Pooh tries to get some honey, the search is on for Eeyore's tail, some new visitors arrive in the form of Kanga and Baby Roo and an 'Expotition' is held to discover the North Pole! A classic for over 95 years and one that everyone young and old will surely adore. (Summary by Matthew Soanes)

    • 2 h 21 min
    • 11 sections
    • English
    • Published 1931
    • Read by Matthew Soanes

    Recording from LibriVox page for Winnie-the-Pooh (Version 2)

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  2. Listen in MyVoxBox: Wind in the Willows (version 2)

    Wind in the Willows (version 2)

    Why it is here Friendship, riverside life and Toad's comic excesses unfold in a connected animal adventure.

    This much-loved story follows a group of animal friends in the English countryside as they pursue adventure ... and as adventure pursues them! The chief characters - Mole, Rat, and Toad - generally lead upbeat and happy lives, but their tales are leavened with moments of terror, homesickness, awe, madcap antics, and derring-do.

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    Although classed as children's literature, The Wind in the Willows holds a gentle fascination for adults too. The vocabulary is decidedly not "Dick and Jane", and a reader with a love of words will find new ones to treasure, even if well-equipped for the journey. Parents will appreciate the themes of loyalty, manners, self-restraint, and comradeship which are evident throughout the book. When the characters err, they are prompt to acknowledge it, and so a reading of this book can model good behavior to children, who will otherwise be enchanted with the many ways in which the lives of these bucolic characters differ from modern life.

    This book was so successful that it enabled the author to retire from banking and take up a country life somewhat like that of his creations. It has been adapted for screen, stage, and even a ride at the original Disneyland. (Summary by Mark F. Smith)

    • 6 h 47 min
    • 12 sections
    • English
    • Published 1908
    • Read by Mark F. Smith

    Recording from LibriVox page for Wind in the Willows (version 2)

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  3. Listen in MyVoxBox: Wonderful Wizard of Oz

    Wonderful Wizard of Oz

    Why it is here A quest for home joins Dorothy with memorable companions in a complete Oz adventure.

    The timeless story of the Wizard Of Oz. Follow Dorothy as she leaves Kansas for Oz on a cyclone. She meets many strange, and wonderful people and creatures along the way. Enjoy it again with your children and family.

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    L. Frank Baum's classic story that has made pop culture status. Summary by J. Hall.

    • 3 h 45 min
    • 25 sections
    • English
    • Published 1900
    • Read by J. Hall

    Recording from LibriVox page for Wonderful Wizard of Oz

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  4. Listen in MyVoxBox: Velveteen Rabbit (version 2)

    Velveteen Rabbit (version 2)

    Why it is here A toy rabbit longs to become real in a short mother-and-daughter duet. Includes serious illness and threatened destruction of the toy.

    This classic story by Margery Williams, published in 1922, imparts the timeless message that toys need not be expensive or modern to be appreciated. Through giving and receiving love, even a commonplace stuffed animal can become real in the eyes of a child. This recording, read by a mother and daughter, is dedicated to Barbara Bear, who is real.

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    Read by Barbara Bear and Mama Bear

    • 23 min
    • 1 section
    • English
    • Published 1922
    • Read by Barbara Bear and Mama Bear

    Recording from LibriVox page for Velveteen Rabbit (version 2)

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  5. Listen in MyVoxBox: Railway Children

    Railway Children

    Why it is here Siblings, a railway and everyday courage broaden the collection beyond fantasy. Includes parental imprisonment and railway danger.

    Edith Nesbit’s classic story, in which three children, pulled suddenly from their comfortable suburban life, move to the country with their mother, where they come to know and love the ways of the railways. (Summary by Karen Savage)

    • 5 h 1 min
    • 14 sections
    • English
    • Published 1906
    • Read by Karen Savage

    Recording from LibriVox page for Railway Children

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  6. Listen in MyVoxBox: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (version 2)

    Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (version 2)

    Why it is here Alice's twelve-chapter journey brings nonsense, wordplay and strange encounters in a single-reader recording under three hours.

    Alice's Adventures in Wonderland tells the story of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by peculiar and anthropomorphic creatures. The tale plays with logic in ways that have given the story lasting popularity with adults as well as children.

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    It is considered to be one of the most characteristic examples of the "literary nonsense" genre, and its narrative course and structure have been enormously influential, especially in the fantasy genre. (summary from Wikipedia)

    Summary adapted from Wikipedia, used under CC BY-SA 4.0.

    • 2 h 47 min
    • 12 sections
    • English
    • Published 1865
    • Read by Kara Shallenberg (1969-2023)

    Recording from LibriVox page for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (version 2)

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  7. Listen in MyVoxBox: Anne of Green Gables (version 3)

    Anne of Green Gables (version 3)

    Why it is here Anne's imagination and missteps bring domestic comedy and a Canadian setting. Includes bereavement.

    The timeless story of the young orphan girl sent by accident to a brother and sister who had wanted a boy, Anne, with her vivid imagination and sensitive spirit, has enchanted readers for generations. (Summary by Karen Savage)

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    Other books in this series by this reader:

    Anne of Avonlea

    Anne of the Island

    Anne's House of Dreams

    Rainbow Valley

    Rilla of Ingleside

    • 8 h 38 min
    • 38 sections
    • English
    • Published 1908
    • Read by Karen Savage

    Recording from LibriVox page for Anne of Green Gables (version 3)

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  8. Listen in MyVoxBox: Treasure Island (version 2)

    Treasure Island (version 2)

    Why it is here A map, pirates and uncertain loyalties drive this adventure. Includes lethal violence; the 34 chapters are grouped into 17 files.

    A mysterious map, pirates, and pieces of eight! When young Jim Hawkins finds a map to pirates’ gold he starts on an adventure that takes him from his English village to a desert island with the murderous Black Dog, half-mad Ben Gunn, and (of course) Long John Silver. Arr Jim lad! R.L.

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    Stevenson (1850-1894) was born in Scotland and travelled extensively in California and the south Pacific. (Summary by Adrian Praetzellis)

    • 7 h 33 min
    • 17 sections
    • English
    • Published 1883
    • Read by Adrian Praetzellis

    Recording from LibriVox page for Treasure Island (version 2)

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  9. Listen in MyVoxBox: Great Big Treasury of Beatrix Potter

    Great Big Treasury of Beatrix Potter

    Why it is here Nineteen Potter tales invite short visits with familiar and less familiar animals. Predation, capture and death occur.

    Born in Victorian London on July 28th, 1866, Beatrix Potter created some of the best-loved children’s stories of all time. Starting with Peter Rabbit and moving through the rest of these delightful tales, the Great Big Treasury of Beatrix Potter will warm the hearts both of those who remember her fondly from their childhoods and those who discover for the first time the magic of these timeless stories.

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    (Summary by Chip)

    • 3 h 32 min
    • 19 sections
    • English
    • Read by Kara Shallenberg (1969-2023), Annie Coleman Rothenberg, Betsie Bush and 13 others

    Recording from LibriVox page for Great Big Treasury of Beatrix Potter

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  10. Listen in MyVoxBox: Aesop for Children

    Aesop for Children

    Why it is here Brief animal fables offer many small listening sessions and opportunities to discuss their morals.

    A collection of Aesop's fables for children from the classic American book illustrated by Milo Winter. Read along and see the illustrations at: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19994. (Summary by Jill Engle)

    • 3 h 12 min
    • 37 sections
    • English
    • Published 1919
    • Read by Bob Neufeld, Janet, Katalina Watt and 16 others

    Recording from LibriVox page for Aesop for Children

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  11. Listen in MyVoxBox: Understood Betsy

    Understood Betsy

    Why it is here Farm life, school and growing competence make Betsy's story a rewarding discovery among the better-known classics.

    Understood Betsy is a 1916 novel for children by Dorothy Canfield Fisher. The story tells of Elizabeth Ann, a 9-year-old orphan who goes from a sheltered existence with her father's aunt Harriet and cousin Frances in the city, to living on a Vermont farm with her mother's family, the Putneys, whose child-rearing practices had always seemed suspect to Harriet and her daughter.

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    In her new rural life, Elizabeth Ann comes to be nicknamed "Betsy," and to find that many activities that Frances had always thought too demanding for a little girl are considered, by the Putney family, ordinary expectations for a child: walking to school alone, cooking, and having household duties to perform.

    The child thrives in her new environment, learning to make butter, boil maple syrup, and tend the animals. When Frances announces she is to be married and has come to "save" Elizabeth Ann from the dreaded Putney cousins, she is amazed to discover that the little girl is quite content to stay. The story ends after Frances has returned home, with Betsy, her aunt Abigail, uncle Henry, and cousin Ann sitting quietly and happily around the fireplace enjoying the knowledge they will now be a family for good. (Summary from Wikipedia)

    Summary adapted from Wikipedia, used under CC BY-SA 4.0.

    • 4 h 36 min
    • 11 sections
    • English
    • Published 1917
    • Read by Lee Ann Howlett

    Recording from LibriVox page for Understood Betsy

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  12. Listen in MyVoxBox: Princess and the Goblin (version 2)

    Princess and the Goblin (version 2)

    Why it is here A princess and a young miner encounter underground dangers in this early fantasy adventure.

    George MacDonald's fairy stories and fantasy have inspired a number of writers including C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien and of this popular fairy story, which as you might suspect concerns a little princess plotted against by a race of goblins, G.K. Chesterton said that it "made a difference to my whole existence." (Summary by Andy Minter)

    • 5 h 11 min
    • 32 sections
    • English
    • Published 1872
    • Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017)

    Recording from LibriVox page for Princess and the Goblin (version 2)

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  13. Listen in MyVoxBox: Secret Garden (version 2)

    Secret Garden (version 2)

    Why it is here A hidden garden and new friendships transform three children's lives. Contains racist language and dated disability assumptions.

    Orphaned Mary Lennox is sent to live with her uncle in Yorkshire, and finds herself in a house full of secrets and mysteries.

    • 6 h 57 min
    • 28 sections
    • English
    • Published 1911
    • Read by Karen Savage

    Recording from LibriVox page for Secret Garden (version 2)

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  14. Listen in MyVoxBox: Swallows and Amazons

    Swallows and Amazons

    Why it is here Sailing, camping and children's own plans give this longer outdoor adventure a different rhythm from the magical tales.

    Captain John Walker with three of his siblings take sail in Swallow and camp out on an island in the Lake District. Adventures meet them there along with a pair of Amazon pirates. - Summary by Beeswaxcandle

    • 9 h 10 min
    • 31 sections
    • English
    • Published 1930
    • Read by Beeswaxcandle

    Recording from LibriVox page for Swallows and Amazons

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  15. Listen in MyVoxBox: Book of Dragons

    Book of Dragons

    Why it is here Eight imaginative dragon stories can be enjoyed separately. Some dragons eat people or threaten children.

    A dragon who flies out of a magical book; one whose purr quiets a fussy baby; another who eats an entire pack of tame hunting-hippopotomuses: These eight dragon tales are filled with the imaginative wit of children's author Edith Nesbit. (Summary by Laurie Anne Walden)

    • 4 h 7 min
    • 8 sections
    • English
    • Published 1901
    • Read by Laurie Anne Walden

    Recording from LibriVox page for Book of Dragons

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  16. Listen in MyVoxBox: Heidi

    Heidi

    Why it is here A translated Swiss classic about home and belonging, with separation and illness as well as mountain life.

    Hear Heidi if you’ve ever longed to see the Swiss mountain slopes. This story transports the listener from the fine air and freedom of the mountaintop to the confines of Frankfurt, back to the peaks again, bounding in flowered fields with goats at your heels and sky utterly surrounding you.

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    We meet Heidi when she is 5, led up the mountain by her aunt who has raised the orphan but must leave now for a position in Frankfurt. In a mountain cottage overlooking the valley is Heidi’s grandfather, and there with him the girl’s sweet, free nature expands with the vista. The author’s voice is straightforward, and so is our reader’s, with the child’s wonder, devotion, and sometimes humorous good intentions. When Heidi is taken from the mountains and nearly doesn’t make it back again, the most humorous as well as most heart-wringing scenes occur. All she learns during her absence from the mountain she brings back as seeds that will grow to benefit everyone around her. (Summary by Anita)

    • 9 h 45 min
    • 23 sections
    • English
    • Published 1880
    • Read by Kara Shallenberg (1969-2023)

    Recording from LibriVox page for Heidi

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  17. Listen in MyVoxBox: Adventures of Pinocchio (version 2)

    Adventures of Pinocchio (version 2)

    Why it is here The original puppet's adventures are darker than many adaptations, including a hanging scene and attempted violence.

    Do today's children still learn what a "marionette" is? The beloved story of Pinocchio may represent a last lingering picture of a world not dominated by plastic or electronic toys.

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    Pinocchio is a puppet made from a piece of wood that curiously could talk even before being carved. A wooden-head he starts and a wooden-head he stays - until after years of misadventures caused by his laziness and failure to keep promises he finally learns to care about his family - and then he becomes a real boy.

    For those who have seen the Disney movie the cast of characters will be familiar, from the Talking Cricket (who acts as his conscience) to Lamp-Wick, his partner in truancy and having heedless fun.

    Though the toys of today are far from the puppet shows in Carlo Collodi's book, his themes of being truthful, thoughtful, and dependable will always be timely.

    (Summary by Mark)

    • 4 h 41 min
    • 36 sections
    • English
    • Published 1881
    • Read by Mark F. Smith

    Recording from LibriVox page for Adventures of Pinocchio (version 2)

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  18. Listen in MyVoxBox: Black Beauty (version 2)

    Black Beauty (version 2)

    Why it is here A horse tells his own story of work, kindness and mistreatment. Animal cruelty and death are central subjects.

    Black Beauty is a fictional autobiographical memoir told by a horse, who recounts many tales, both of cruelty and kindness. The title page of the first edition states that it was "Translated from the Original Equine by Anna Sewell." It was composed in the last years of her life, during which she was confined to her house as an invalid.

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    After its publication in 1877, Sewell lived just long enough to see her first and only novel become an immediate bestseller, as well as it encouraging the better treatment of many cruelly-treated animals.

    Although initially intended for people who work with horses, it soon became a children's classic. While outwardly teaching animal welfare, it also contains allegorical lessons about how to treat people with kindness, sympathy and respect. The story is narrated in the first person and each short chapter relates an incident in Black Beauty's life, with Sewell's detailed observations and extensive descriptions of horse behaviour lending the novel a good deal of verisimilitude.

    Summary adapted from Wikipedia by Cori Samuel, with help.

    Summary adapted from Wikipedia, used under CC BY-SA 4.0.

    • 5 h 43 min
    • 49 sections
    • English
    • Published 1877
    • Read by Cori Samuel

    Recording from LibriVox page for Black Beauty (version 2)

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  19. Listen in MyVoxBox: Japanese Fairy Tales

    Japanese Fairy Tales

    Why it is here English retellings of Japanese folktales broaden the collection's traditions. Some stories contain severe violence, mutilation and cannibalism.

    First published in 1908, this is a book of "beautiful legends and fairy tales of Japan" that were collected, translated and retold by the author, Yei Theodora Ozaki, who states: "...in telling them I have also found that they were still unknown to the vast majority, and this has encouraged me to write them for the children of the West."

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    In part, the project was the result of a suggestion made by her friend Andrew Lang, another collector of fairy stories, who printed his stories in the many Colored Fairy Books. (Summary by not.a.moose)

    • 7 h 36 min
    • 23 sections
    • English
    • Published 1908
    • Read by Gesine, Alan Davis Drake (1945-2010), Carol Goode and 7 others

    Recording from LibriVox page for Japanese Fairy Tales

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  20. Listen in MyVoxBox: Reluctant Dragon

    Reluctant Dragon

    Why it is here A poetry-loving dragon and an unconventional resolution offer a short comic alternative to stories about slaying monsters.

    What would you do if you discovered a dragon living in a cave on a hill above your home? Make friends, read poetry together? It turns out that not all dragons are intent on pillaging the countryside. Some might actually enjoy peace, quiet, and the occasional banquet.

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    The Boy of this story knows how to handle dragons, and life is good… until a knight in shining armor arrives in town to exterminate his friend! It doesn’t matter that it’s a “good” dragon — rules are rules, you know! (Summary by Mark)

    • 57 min
    • 1 section
    • English
    • Published 1898
    • Read by Mark F. Smith

    Recording from LibriVox page for Reluctant Dragon

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