The best young listeners audiobooks for beginners: where to start
If you've never finished a young listeners audiobook, start with one that already won. Every title below took the Audie Award in the young listeners category — broadly loved, superbly narrated, the audiobook industry's own pick for the best young listeners production of its year. They are the safest first credits: hard to switch off, and hard to regret. The most recent winner is Secrets of the Purple Pearl by Kate McKinnon (2026).
| Audiobook | Author | Narrator(s) | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secrets of the Purple Pearl | Kate McKinnon | Kate McKinnon, Emily Lynne | Audie Young Listeners (2026) |
| Nothing: John Cage and 4'33" | Nicholas Day | Fred Berman | Audie Young Listeners (2025) |
| The Skull | Jon Klassen | Fairuza Balk, Jon Klassen | Audie Young Listeners (2024) |
| A Door Made for Me | Tyler Merritt | Tyler Merritt | Audie Young Listeners (2023) |
| I and I Bob Marley | Tony Medina | Jaime Lincoln Smith, Tony Medina | Audie Young Listeners (2022) |
| The Overground Railroad | Lesa Cline-Ransome | Shayna Small, Dion Graham | Audie Young Listeners (2021) |
| The Pigeon HAS to Go to School! | Mo Willems | Mo Willems | Audie Young Listeners (2020) |
| Trombone Shorty | Troy Andrews | Dion Graham | Audie Young Listeners (2018) |
| 28 Days: Moments in Black History That Changed the World | Charles R. Smith, Jr. | Dion Graham, William Jackson Harper, Zainab Jah, January LaVoy, Robin Miles, Lizan Mitchell, Jonathan Earl Peck, Carter Woodson Redwood | Audie Young Listeners (2017) |
| Little Shop of Monsters | R. L. Stine and Marc Brown | Jack Black | Audie Young Listeners (2016) |
| H.O.R.S.E.: A Game of Basketball and Imagination | Christopher Myers | Christopher Myers, Dion Graham | Audie Young Listeners (2015) |
| Hooray for Anna Hibiscus! | Atinuke | Mutiyat Ade-Salu | Audie Young Listeners (2014) |
| The Great Cake Mystery | Alexander McCall Smith | Adjoa Andoh | Audie Young Listeners (2013) |
| Django, World's Greatest Jazz Guitarist | Bonnie Christensen | George Guidall | Audie Young Listeners (2012) |
| This Jazz Man | Karen Ehrhardt | James D-Train Williams | Audie Young Listeners (2011) |
| Louise, the Adventures of a Chicken | Kate DiCamillo | Barbara Rosenblat | Audie Young Listeners (2010) |
| James Herriot's Treasury for Children | James Herriot | Jim Dale | Audie Young Listeners (2009) |
| More About Paddington | Michael Bond | Stephen Fry | Audie Young Listeners (2008) |
| Knuffle Bunny | Mo Willems | Mo Willems, Cher, Trixie Willems | Audie Young Listeners (2007) |
| Arnie the Doughnut | Laurie Keller | Michael McKean, Diana Canova, David de Vries, full cast | Audie Young Listeners (2006) |
| What Charlie Heard | Mordicai Gerstein | Mordicai Gerstein | Audie Young Listeners (2005) |
| Chato and the Party Animals | Gary Soto | Luis Guzman | Audie Young Listeners (2004) |
| The Blues of Flats Brown | Walter Dean Myers | Charles Turner | Audie Young Listeners (2003) |
| Ballet Stories | David Angus | Jenny Agutter | Audie Young Listeners (2002) |
| Ouch! | Natalie Babbitt | Martin Jarvis | Audie Young Listeners (2001) |
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Frequently asked questions
Which young listeners audiobook should I start with?
Start with a recent Audie Young Listeners winner such as "Secrets of the Purple Pearl" by Kate McKinnon (2026). Award winners are the safest first listens because they are judged on narration as much as story, so the performance carries you through.
Are these good for someone new to audiobooks?
Yes. Every audiobook here won the Audie Award, the audiobook industry's own award — they are broadly loved and exceptionally well narrated, which is exactly what makes a first audiobook easy to finish.
How do I listen for free?
A free 30-day Audible Premium Plus trial includes one credit. You can use it on any young listeners audiobook on this page and keep it permanently, even if you cancel before the trial ends.
More young listeners guides: every Audie-winning young listeners audiobook · all listening guides · best audiobooks by award.