AudioFile Best Audiobooks List for The Children’s Book Review
Experience a world of rich narration and unforgettable stories with AudioFile Magazine’s 2025 Best Children & Family Listening collection!
AudioFile’s 2025 Best Children & Family Listening Audiobooks are full of music, magic,
friendship, adventure, and relatable personal stories. They make excellent use of the audio
format, from compelling narrations to thoughtful sound effects, and they will entertain, engage, and inspire young listeners.
The Best Kids’ Audiobooks for 2025
And She Was Loved: Toni Morrison’s Life in Stories
Written by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Read by Andrea Davis Pinkney
AudioFile Earphones Award
Hachette Audio | 20 mins. | Ages 4-8
Andrea Davis Pinkney showcases her praise poem to Toni Morrison with a practiced delivery, addressing her subject as “you” throughout. Pinkney is gentle in describing Morrison’s youthful love of letters; she deepens her voice as the future Nobelist gains confidence at Howard University. Her voice swells with pride as Morrison conquers the literary world as an editor and writer before turning conversational in her author’s note. Print and audio combine for an experience worthy of Morrison’s life and legacy. Review»
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Bad Badger: Bad Badger, Book 1
Written by Maryrose Wood
Read by Chris Devon
AudioFile Earphones Award
Dreamscape | 2.75 hrs. | Ages 7-10
English narrator Chris Devon provides a warm background while bringing to life the characters in this simple and compelling tale of friendship. While Septimus loves listening to opera in his cottage by the sea, he knows that he’s a bad badger—and even questions whether he’s a badger at all. For these reasons, he’s both relieved and happy when a gull begins visiting him. Devon provides character to the one-word seagull and infuses Septimus with emotions ranging from anxiety to joy. Review»
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How Sweet the Sound
Written by Kwame Alexander
Read by Karen Murray
AudioFile Earphones Award
Hachette Audio | 47 mins. | Ages 4-8
Every second of this dynamic production—from the bouncing notes of the opening theme to the last snapped finger—creates a musical soundscape. Narrator Karen Murray’s sweet and steady tones guide the listener through a history of Black music told in rolling lines of poetry. Murray moves seamlessly from the talking drums of Africa through the origins of the blues, jazz, funk, and soul, and forward to the birth of hip-hop and rap, with many stops in between. Review»
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Millie Fleur Saves the Night
Written by Christy Mandin
Read by Elizabeth Knowelden
AudioFile Earphones Award
Scholastic Audiobooks | 26 mins. | Ages 3-8
Simply perfect! No detail is missing from an enchanting picture-book adaptation that needs no images. An orchestral score is seamlessly layered with the sounds of nocturnal creatures and the frightened murmured voices of Garden Glen residents who are scurrying to light lanterns to keep the darkness at bay. Narrator Elizabeth Knowelden’s prim English accent perfectly suits Millie and her mom, the only family with a night garden. Review»
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The Poisoned King: Impossible Creatures, Book 2
Written by Katherine Rundell
Read by Sam West
Listening Library | 7 hrs. | Ages 10+
Narrator Sam West effortlessly sweeps listeners along in this magnificent sequel to Impossible Creatures. When Anya’s grandfather, the king of Dousha, is murdered and Her beloved father is accused of the crime and imprisoned. Anya will do anything to help him. Help comes in the form of Christopher, a guardian of the magical Archipelago where Anya lives, along with a bevy of fantastical creatures. West’s immersive and deeply empathetic performance exemplifies the best of storytelling. Review»
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Whale Eyes: A Memoir About Seeing and Being Seen
Written by James Robinson
Read by James Robinson
AudioFile Earphones Award
Listening Library | 3.5 hrs. | Ages 10-13
Author and narrator James Robinson combines his documentary filmmaking skills and familiarity with audiobooks to render his experience with serious visual disability in audio. Sound effects immerse the listener in Robinson’s memories, like the ticking of the school clock as impatient classmates wait while he struggles to read. He sometimes inserts the confused conversations of friends and family who are puzzling out images of the world as he sees it. Robinson’s caring outlook and advice on society, specifically the disability community, is, unsurprisingly, visionary. Review»
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For the full list of 2025 Best Audiobooks, visit AudioFile’s website.
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The article “AudioFile’s 2025 Best Children & Family Listening Audiobooks” was curated by AudioFile. AudioFile is an independent source of audiobook reviews and recommendations with a clear focus on the performance and listening experience. AudioFile Earphones Awards are given to exceptional audiobooks. To learn more, visit audiofilemagazine.com, BlueSky @audiofilemagazine.bsky.social, Facebook @audiofilemagazine, and Instagram @AudioFileMagazine.
