11 Spanish Audiobooks Perfect for Your Little One
Books for Latinx children aren’t just for fun, it’s for introducing kids to Latinx history and culture
Courtesy of Audible
Books for Latinx children aren’t just for fun, it’s for introducing kids to Latinx history and culture. Audiobooks are becoming more and more popular partly because it’s easy to do other tasks while the book plays in the background. For this list, we’re featuring a mix of Latinx stories with literary classics that have been translated into Spanish for a wide array of books to get kids into reading.
From the audiobook version of the beloved film Coco to a collection of stories about famous Mexican women to the first-ever Spanish translation of the Harry Potter series, there’s something here for all interests.
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Coco: La Novela
Fans of the beloved Disney Pixar blockbuster Coco can now listen to the audio story of Miguel and his adventure in the Land of the Dead as he tries to find his music idol, Ernesto de la Cruz. On the way, he meets the mysterious but friendly Hector and together they embark on a journey of discovery. The audiobook is narrated by Mexican actor Beto Ruiz who is also the host of “Universo Vice”, a TV show produced by Vice Media for the U.S. There is also an English-language audiobook that’s a retelling of the film entitled A Story About Music, Shoes, and Family by Diana López and narrated by Cuban actress Frankie Maria Corzo. The running time for Coco: La Novela is 3 hrs.
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El Principito
The most famous work by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, El Principito touches on themes such as loneliness, friendship, and love and this is a Spanish version newly available on audible. The novella was first published in 1943 and less than a decade later was translated into Spanish in several countries and there’s even a gender-neutral version published in Argentina. It tells the story of a pilot stranded in the desert who awakens one morning to see a young and friendly boy from another planet. The pilot learns to succumb to life’s mysteries through the help of this little prince and his stories. It is narrated by Youtuber and author aka “book tuber” Raiza Revelles who is based in Monterrey, Mexico. The running time is 1 hr and 42 mins.
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Harry Potter y la Piedra Filosofal
The Harry Potter series in Spanish was part of the Audible Latino launch marking the first time the Spanish-language version of the series is available in audio. The first book, Harry Potter y la Piedra Filosofal by J.K. Rowling, is available now along with the following three and the rest of the series will be released later this year. Book one introduces the young wizard who discovers his magical roots on his 11th birthday when he receives a letter of acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He also faces his enemy Lord Voldemort, who killed Harry’s parents, but failed to kill Harry when he was just 15 months old. It is narrated by Puerto Rican actor Carlos Ponce, known for TV roles in Cristela and Hollywood Heights, as well as voicing Santiago Santos in Maya and Miguel. The running time is 22 hrs and 17 mins.
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¿Quien Es Carmen Sandiego?
This audible exclusive ¿Quien Es Carmen Sandiego? is a novelization of the Netflix animated series starring Gina Rodriguez written by Rebecca Tinker. The audiobook is the first time fans get to hear the backstory of the elusive mastermind thief who has captured the hearts of kids since its original debut as a video game in 1985. This story includes Carmen Sandiego herself discussing how she conceived some of her most famous capers giving listeners an insider look at this notoriously mysterious thief. It’s narrated by Mexican vocal artist Ivett Toriz and the running time is 4 hrs and 26 mins.
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Esperanza Renace
In Esperanza Renace by Pam Muñoz Ryan, tells the story of Esperanza Ortega who lives a comfortable life and has everything a girl could want living in Aguascalientes, Mexico. She’s bound to take over her mama’s position presiding over all of El Rancho de las Rosas. All of that changes when a tragedy forces her and her mom to move to California and settle in a Mexican farm labor camp where they confront the challenges of hard work, acceptance by their own people, and economic difficulties brought on by the Great Depression. When Esperanza encounters conflicts that threaten any stability they now have, she learns to let go of the past and embrace a future she never imagined for herself. It is narrated by actress and writer Ruth Livier and the running time is 5 hrs and 24 mins.
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Había Una Vez Mexicanas Que Hicieron Historia
This anthology is a collection of stories about formidable Mexican women who made history and broke away from the mold, partially told from their perspective and written by Pedro Fernández. The book tells the inspiring stories of women including world-renowned artist Frida Kahlo, Como Agua Para Chocolate writer Laura Esquivel, singer-songwriter Lila Downs, and acclaimed poet Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz among other famous women in literature, politics, music, and art. It is narrated by Mexico City-based radio host Gina Jaramillo, Youtuber, and author Fa Orozco, and Gilberta Mendoza Salazar with a running time of 3 hrs and 33 mins.
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La Odisea Contada A Los Niños
One of the oldest poems in world history (it was composed nearly 3000 years ago) gets translated into Spanish in this audible exclusive written by Spanish author Rosa Navarro Duran. La Odisea Contada A Los Niños tells the story of legendary Greek king of Ithaca, Ulysses and his encounters with Greek gods including god of the sea, Poseidon, and goddess of wisdom, Athena, as he journeys back to his wife Penelope and their son, Telemachus after being away for 20 years. The poem, originally written by Greek minstrel Homer, is narrated by Dani Gonzalez and the running time is 2 hrs and 22 mins.
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El Maravilloso Mago de Oz
The classic story of Dorothy and her journey down the yellow brick road written by L. Frank Baum has been a staple for children’s literature since its release in 1900. To return to her home in Kansas she needs to meet with the great wizard in the City of Emeralds and along the way she meets the Scarecrow, a tin man and a cowardly lion. The story was the inspiration for the 1939 film of the same name that’s considered one of the greatest films of all time. It is narrated by voice actress Nuria Trifol with a running time of 4 hrs and 21 mins.
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La Lección de August: Wonder
Colombian-American writer R.J. Palacio released Wonder in 2012 after she was inspired by the way her son reacted seeing a girl with a severe facial deformity that caused him to break down in tears, which only worsened when she tried removing him from the situation. The story is told from the perspective of a boy named August with a facial deformity who goes to school for the first time and learns to face adversity and accepting himself as is. The book was turned into a movie starring Julia Roberts and Jacob Tremblay in 2017. It is narrated by Daniel Vargas and Viviana Sierra and the running time is 8 hrs and 25 mins.
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25 Cuentos Clásicos
Like the title says, this is a compilation of children’s literary classics and here Marc Donat and Richard Zaplana have translated them into Spanish. The collection includes stories that feature classic characters including Hansel and Gretel, Goldilocks and the three bears among others. There are 25 stories and each lasts about five minutes so they can also be used as lullabies. It is narrated by established Spanish voice actress Maria Luisa Solá and the running time is 2 hrs and 32 mins.
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Aventura Joven: Perdidos en el Camino del Inca
This is more for teens and is part of the “Young Adventure” series that follows a group of teenage friends: Monica, Guillermo, Laura, Sergio, and Martín. In “Perdidos en el Camino del Inca” they travel the Inca Trail during their end of year trip to Peru, where the Inca civilization was centered from 1438 to 1533. Throughout the reading, there is a series of notes that help understand the text better and they will explain some cultural questions. The story was written by Elvira Sancho and Jordi Surís and narrated by Elena Menacho with a running time of 1 hr and 1 min. wp_*posts
El Cid Contado A Los Niños
Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, known as El Cid Campeador, was a famous military leader in medieval Spain who lived from 1043-1099. He remains a Spanish popular folk hero and national icon and here Rosa Navarro Duran takes from the epic poem about El Cid written around 1207 to bring this Spanish translation to kids. From his adventures conquering cities to his victories in battle to more tender moments with his wife and daughters, readers will learn about this historical figure through this imaginative tale. This is an audible exclusive that’s narrated by Dani Gonzalez and the running time is 1 hr and 46 mins.
