School may have started back for a lot of folks, but that doesn’t mean the end of vacation time! Nothing is better than a few days off to relax and unwind with the family.
The only problem is that before you reach vacation bliss, you have to endure the dreaded hours spent driving in the car. The temperature never pleases everyone, you’re packed in like sardines with all your vacation necessities, snacks for the road, and entertainment for the kids to boot. Forget about the radio, because your children will never agree on a station.
But maybe there is a solution for car ride bliss. Knock a few titles off that reading list with an audiobook the whole family will enjoy, or check out your local library for other fun things, like joke books to entertain and enthuse.
Audiobooks the Whole Family Will Enjoy
- Half Magic by Eager: A charming, lovely, witty story about siblings who find a magic coin. The catch? The coin is only half magic, meaning it will only grant 1/2 your wish. Highly recommend as an audiobook or a family read aloud.
- The One and Only Ivan by Applegate: This Newbery winning book tells the tale of an intelligent gorilla and his compassion and determination. The narrator is great.
- Charlotte’s Web or Stuart Little by E.B. White: Both great choices for a wholesome animal adventure.
- The Tale of Despereaux by Kate Dicamillo: Another great animal tale.
- From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by Konigsburg: Two children run away to live at the museum. Very fun.
- Fortunately, The Milk by Neil Gaiman: A short listen, but very funny story about why it takes this father so long to return home from a trip to the store.
- The BFG, Matilda, or James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl: Great stories and memorable, quirky, characters.
- Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Grabenstein: A game show adventure through a wacky library with a few Dewey Decimal System riddles (library nerd alert!).
- The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Cleary: Another adventurous mouse story!
Fun Books to Check Out
- Joke books. Need I say more? Endless fun with super cheesy jokes. Have your children make up their own.
- Riddles and tongue twisters. More silly ridiculousness.
- Seek and Find books. I loved Where’s Waldo as a child, and Walter Wick’s I Spy series has tons of tiny things to look find. For young children, try Tana Hoban’s Look Book or the Edward Gibb’s I Spy series.
- Weird but true facts. The Guiness Book of World Records is fun, and National Geographic has an interesting Weird But True series. I also like gross books like Ick, Yuck, Eew! Our Gross American History by Lois Miner Huey. Gross facts about history. Sneak that learning in there!