Our Favorite Equity-Centered Kids Audio Books
Our Favorite Equity-Centered Kids Audio Books
Take a listen and let us know what you think
We’ve taken a lot of road trips recently (shout out to the South, Upstate NY, the Eastern Seaboard), and we’ve been leaning into the magic of audiobooks for our kids ages 5 and 9 to pass the time in the car. If the audiobook does its job, the kids are riveted to the sound and ask for it over and over again.
If not, we now realize we have the world’s most prolific audiobook critics in the back seat, ready to share what they like and didn’t like. They are very very willing to share their honest feedback.
So, what are some audiobooks our family is listening to that focus on equity and allow for a fun and enjoyable car trip? There is no shortage of audiobooks in the ethersphere for your little ones and today, we’re going to share a few that focus on equity, justice, peace, and antiracism in a kid-appropriate manner.
Now, we’ll be honest here. As adults, we liked all of these audiobooks, but some landed for our kids and some didn’t. Give each a try. Each kid is different so what may resonate with our kids may not land with yours. Keep going to find out which our kids loved, and when you listen, let us know which your kids did, too.
What Are You? by Christian Trimmer read by Ramon De Ocampo, age range: 3 - 6 years (we recommend ages 5-10).
Our kids LOVED What Are You? This delightful book about exploring identity through the eyes of puppies was a huge hit. Delving into themes like stereotypes, family, race, culture, biases and assumptions, this book was the perfect jumping off point for us to open conversations with our kids about these huge topics. A plus was the additional audio content that provided tips for caregivers. Here are 5 reasons that this was their favorite audiobook:
The music is child-centered and playful. It brought the whimsy.
The voice is imaginative and varied from character to character. Something as simple as intonations can make a big difference as it pertains to kids paying attention to a story that’s read to them.
The story focuses on big themes but also made it applicable to their ages.
The animal sounds are a cute bonus. Which kid doesn’t like funny animal sounds?
They loved that this story is only 5 minutes long to grab their short attention spans.
Click here to listen to What Are You?
2) You Matter To Me by Doyin Richards, read by the author Age range: 4 - 8 years (we recommend ages 5-10)
This book, the story of a dog and his adult, focuses on themes like belonging, love, family and more. It delves into the adult’s race and other adults’ racism towards him in large ways and small. Our kids liked You Matter To Me for several reasons. Firstly, they love dogs so any story about them is a hit in our house. Here are 4 more reasons our kids liked this one:
The music is kid-centered and playful.
The story talks about peeing in the house. Is it just our kids who find bathroom words very very funny? Probably.
It tackles big themes like racism through the lens of a puppy.
It talks about micro-aggressions in ways kids can understand and it focuses on how they don’t actually make sense.
The soundtrack follows the story, as opposed to leaning solely on the voice. For example, while talking about barking, a real dog is heard barking. While talking about walking, steps can be heard. These small details bring an audiobook to life.
Click here to listen to You Matter To Me.
3) Why? by Taye Diggs, read by the author, age range 3 - 6 years (we recommend ages 6-12)
This 5-minute audiobook is a great example of an audiobook that us adults absolutely loved for its content and because, well, it’s Taye Diggs. The music is dramatic and powerful. The narration is beautifully done. The storyline itself is clear in its content and message. It’s a story of protest, of injustice, of action, of power. It’s also a story of resistance and the important conversation of anti-violence within a violent system. Our 9-year-old half-listened to it while he read his book, but it was unfortunately lost on our 5-year-old. This book was a great propeller for additional conversations with our 9-year-old about these themes after we listened to it a few times.
4) Coretta: The Autobiography of Mrs. Coretta Scott King, read by January LaVoy - Age range: 4 - 8 years (we recommend ages 9+)
We REALLY wanted our kids to love this audiobook. The storyline is powerful. The Story of Coretta Scott King, written by Coretta Scott King, is a story our kids need to listen to and understand because of her important and crucial place in history. This audiobook was adapted from King’s adult memoir, her autobiography as the wife of Martin Luther King, Jr., twentieth-century American civil and human rights activist, and founder of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (the King Center). This 26-minute audiobook is ideal for kids a bit older than ours (5 and 9). The voice is soothing and delightful and we both (the adults) paid rapt attention to the full thing. Our kids, on the other hand, got distracted and started doing other things, while complaining that they wanted to listen to the Trolls soundtrack. This audiobook seemed best for teenagers and adults who have longer attention spans and who don’t need the extra bells and whistles to hold their attention.
Click here to listen to Coretta.
5) The Talk read by the author, Darrin Bell, and a full cast, Age range 11+ (we agree with this recommendation)
We actually didn’t let our kids listen to this one because the age range was higher than our kids’ ages (9 and 5). We, the adults, found it to be powerful, profound and well designed for kids ages 11+. The Talk is a graphic novel from Pulitzer Prize winner Darrin Bell. It’s a stunningly emotional and moving book about coming of age in that profound shift from childhood to adulthood for people of the global majority (or people of color) who realize that the concept of fairness is not always applied to everyone. Bursting with vivid sounds and a talented cast, this audiobook tells the story and draws the listener in in momentous ways. We look forward to our son turning 11 so he can experience this.
Click here to listen to The Talk.
Audiobooks are a simple way to not just introduce new lessons to children through a different modality, but also to be a jumping off point for conversations surrounding themes of equity and justice. A great kids audiobook sandwiches the lessons within imaginative play, consistent fun, funny sounds, playful music and a storyline that illustrates rather than tells the story. As you look for audiobooks to play for your little ones on car rides or public transportation, remember to center the fun, the joy, the whimsy. As they get older, they’re more equipped to handle serious conversations coupled with joy and fun. Treat audiobooks as you would regular books. Use them as a tool to start and delve into conversations with kids and come back to them repeatedly.
If you’ve listened to a great audiobook for kids that centers equity and justice, let us know so we can add it to this list.
That’s it from us today. Take care of yourself and love up on your kids, okay?
Tabitha & Adam