How Stories Can Bring Your Family Together This Holiday Season

This content is sponsored by Audible.ca

Snow is gently falling outside your window, and in the darkness of a winter night, your living room seems cozier than ever. Lights twinkle, flames crackle, and your hands are cradling a mug of steaming hot chocolate. Curled up on the rug beside you are your children, and from your speaker you hear a soft voice say, “Once upon a time….” Stories have always brought people together, and if you are looking for ways to share a quiet, introspective moment with your family household this holiday season, sitting down and listening to an audiobook together is a great way to do so.

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If you are looking for audiobooks in Canada signing up for a membership will give you access to a library containing audiobooks for kids of all ages as well as literary classics, self-help audiobooks, and podcasts. But those looking for the perfect listen for a quiet winter night, here are three titles that will leave the whole family rapt.

1. The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

Fairy tales have always appealed to children — and as everyone knows, all the best fairy tales are about animals. In The Tale of Despereaux Kate DiCamillo channels the great tradition of intrepid mouse-heroes to create a story of love and adventure that is by turns funny, wistful, moving, and magnetic — the perfect way to wind down a day of building snowmen and eating gingerbread.

But DiCamillo’s story does more than just keep the kids entertained for an evening. It also teaches valuable lessons about bravery and unlikely friendship.

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2. Keeper of the Lost City by Shannon Messenger

As kids get older, they start to gravitate toward stories that are a little more nuanced. This is one of the reasons sci-fi and fantasy genres are so popular among pre-teens and middle-schoolers. The difficult questions about good vs. evil that are often at the heart of these stories help children develop their understanding of our morally complex world, and listening to these stories alongside them can spark interesting conversations.

When it comes to sci-fi and fantasy kids stories no one does it better than Shannon Messenger, whose Keeper of the Lost City series follows Sophie, a twelve-year-old telepath whose gifts set her apart — and will put her at great danger if she doesn’t learn to channel them to the right ends.

3. The Beatrix Potter Collection by Beatrix Potter

The holidays are a time when most of us are inclined to grow sentimental about winters past. Eating foods you ate growing up, listening to holiday music that transports you to your own childhood — one of the joys of the season is being able to pass along some of these traditions to your own children.

For many, the Beatrix Potter stories were some of the first tales they ever heard. And withThe Beatrix Potter Collection audiobook, you can rediscover the adventures of Peter Rabbit and Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle alongside your own kids.

In an age of screens, when our hours of work and play are almost always spent in front of a computer or television, there is something extremely relaxing about taking a break from your screen and immersing yourself into the audio experience.

Taking time out from busier, more active forms of entertainment to unwind as a family with an audiobook doesn’t just provide us with a break, it stimulates other parts of the brain — especially for younger children, listening inspires learning and provides a new perspective on things.

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This holiday season, why not take the time to re-focus on the things that matter by bringing the family together around one of these timeless stories.