Audible offering free audiobooks for kids during coronavirus crisis

The kids are at home because of the coronavirus pandemic, and they are complaining there is nothing to do. Parents, also stuck at home with their children, are wondering how to keep them engaged without going insane.

Audible is offering a reprieve, of sorts.

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The audiobook service, owned by Amazon, is offering free streams on selected children’s stories. The books will be available in six different languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese and Italian.

“While school is on pause, kids can listen free,” Audible posted on its website.

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The service began Saturday, Audible said.

“For as long as schools are closed, we’re open,” Audible said on its website. “Kids everywhere can instantly stream an incredible collection of stories.”

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The free stories can be streamed on desktops, laptops, tablets or desktop, Audible said. Stories will be divided into six categories: Littlest Listeners, Elementary, Tween, Teen, Literary Classics and Folk & Fairy Tales for All, the website said.

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Examples of free books include “Winne the Pooh,” “The Wheels on the Bus,” “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” “The Reluctant Dragon,” “Upon an Old Wall Dreaming," “Jane Eyre,” “Moby Dick” and “Grimm’s Fairy Tales.”

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A typical subscription to Audible is $14.95 per month, CNN reported.

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