Looking for read aloud anthologies available digitally.

February 21, 2022 1:11 AM

When I as a kid, one of my favorite books was Hey Listen to This! Stories to Read Aloud. It was purely for reading/ listening (no pictures). I am looking for something similar that is available digitally (ebook, kindle, pdf...anything).

The child I would be reading to is 5 years old and the themes they like the most are mischievous / adventurous kids (especially girls being strong / brave), animals, and monsters (scary, but in a light way). I'd prefer an anthology with many stories, but if you have a really standout recommendation for a single book I'll take it. I don't think the child is quite ready for something like hearing a chapter each night, one session stories are better. The biggest requirement is that it is digitally available because I don't have physical access to English language books right now.
Thanks

posted by WeekendJen to Media & Arts (3 answers total)

I think that this might be exclusive to Audible so I hesitate to recommend it but Laurie Berkners song and story kitchen is EXCELLENT, especially for a 5.
posted by aetg at 5:17 AM on February 21, 2022

For whenever you get a chance to access English-language books again, we enjoyed these Waldorf-inspired short stories around that age (2-3 pages each).

If you're looking for an audio option, our family loves the Circle Round podcast with folktales from around the world, many featuring brave and adventurous girls. Each story is about 20m start to finish (includes a brief sponsor break) and always with interesting music.

(Thanks for the Hey! Listen to this recommendation. It looks fantastic - just ordered for our house)
posted by thenewbrunette at 6:17 AM on February 21, 2022

With the very big caveat that I haven't really paid attention to it in at least 30 years, Highlights for Children and related publications might be worth a look. [edit: note that the stories are only a small part, or were.]
posted by eotvos at 7:46 AM on February 21, 2022