| We all know the wealth of information on countless topics is available in a seemingly endless supply of books. We all know that exciting adventures and enthralling lives are just sitting there waiting to be shared with anybody who cares to flick to the first page of a novel. Yet we all still know, frustratingly, that there are many children who simply do not read. Not because they can’t but because they don’t. Whether it is because they aren’t interesting in reading, because they struggle to sit still or because they can’t find a book that appeals who knows, but the truth is none of these reason need to stop them enjoying the written word.
Audiobooks, which can be listened to through a computer, CD, MP3 or any other digital media, provide the perfect answer for these children. Can you imagine what it would have been like growing up without Lewis Carroll, CS Lewis, Mark Twain, or Hans Christian Anderson? More than just writers these authors opened a door to a new world for children that fired their imagination and echoed through their playing and creative spirit.
As parents of young children most of us try to read to our toddlers and pre-schoolers, but as they get older stories get longer, life gets busier and time just tends to slip away. Audiobooks have been designed to fill that gap, not only to stimulate a child’s imagination but also to amuse. You need never hear that dreaded phrase, ‘Are we there yet?’ ever again.
So which are audiobooks have proven popular? At www.the-pirate-ship.com, that focuses (believe it or not) on pirates, the most downloaded books include:
Treasure Island
The Book of Pirates
Peter & the Starcatchers
While for the girls the classic titles still hold great interest:
Alice in Wonderland
Anne of Green Gables
Matilda
Preschoolers simply love the stories of:
Bob The Builder
Anderson’s Fairy Tales
A Bear Called Paddington
However, for the slightly older age group a good place to start is with:
The Chronicles of Narnia
Pendragon
Dr Who
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Charlie and The Great Glass Elevator | 
