Recordings of Books on the Ambleside List

Introduction

Listeners have requested a list of LibriVox recordings of books recommended by Ambleside Online for use with homeschooling. Anyone looking for audio books for children will find plenty of ideas on this page.

This is the first part, covering years 0 - 4. The second part, covering Years 5 - 8, may be found here. The third part, covering Year 9, is here. The fourth part, covering Year 10, is here. The fifth part, covering Year 11, is here.

The lists here only include books on the main booklists on Ambleside Online, not the various personal recommendations. If you would like to browse all LibriVox recordings of books, stories and poems for children, please follow this link for fiction and this link for non-fiction.

Please note that many books on the Ambleside list are not in the Public Domain, and are therefore not available to record for LibriVox.

Ambleside Online has modernised versions of the original Charlotte Mason books on which the homeschooling programme is based. These are not in the public domain, and therefore not available for recording at LibriVox. Three of the original books of the Home Education Series are now available online, however:

Vol. I Home Education (1906)

Vol. II Parents and Children (1904)

Vol. III School Education(1906)

I have been unsuccessful at finding the other volumes available online worldwide.

Also available: Home education: a course of lectures to ladies, delivered in Bradford, in the winter of 1885-1886 (1886)

Booklist for Year 0/Preschool and Kindergarten

LibriVox recordings

Works by Beatrix Potter
The Story of Little Babaji by Helen Bannerman. New version not in the Public Domain, but we have recordings of the original Little Black Sambo.
Uncle Remus and other Brer Rabbit books by Joel Chandler Harris.
A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Various Fairy tale and folk tale collections by Joseph Jacobs.
Childhood’s Favorites and Fairy Stories by Various. Includes Mother Goose Rhymes and fairy tales.
The Real Mother Goose by Anonymous.
Many recordings of Aesop's Fables.
Baby’s Own Aesop by Walter Crane.
Poems Every Child Should Know edited by Mary E. Burt.
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams.
Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne.

Not in the Public Domain

Winnie the Pooh series (books published after 1926) A. A. Milne The Little House (1942) by Virginia Burton.
The Story About Ping (1933) by Marjorie Flack.
The Little Engine that Could (1930) by Watty Piper.
Blueberries for Sal (1948) by Robert McCloskey.
Make Way For Ducklings (1941) by Robert McCloskey.
One Morning in Maine (1952) by Robert McCloskey.
The Story of Ferdinand (1936) by Munro Leaf.
Ox-Cart Man (1979) by Donald Hall and illustrated by Barbara Cooney.
Stone Soup and other folk tale retellings (1947) by Marcia Brown.
Miss Rumphius (1982) by Barbara Cooney.
Poems and Prayers for the Very Young (1997) by Martha Alexander.

Booklist for Year 1

LibriVox recordings

The Bible
Many recordings available including American Standard Version and King James Version. For recordings of all versions, please see this search.

An Island Story Part 1 and An Island Story Part 2 by H. E. Marshall.
Fifty Famous Stories Retold by James Baldwin.
The Burgess Bird Book for Children by Thornton Burgess.
A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare by Edith Nesbit.
Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb.
The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang.
Many recordings in multiple languages of Hans Christian Andersen's Tales.
Many recordings in multiple languages of Grimm's Fairy Tales.
Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling.
King of the Golden River by John Ruskin.
Peter Pan (or, Peter Pan and Wendy) by J. M. Barrie.
The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi.
The Red Fairy Book by Andrew Lang.
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams.
Viking Tales by Jennie Hall
Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock. This recording includes Part I, The Teaching of Nature-Study and Part II, Animal Life, Chapter I, Bird Study. Recording of Part 2 is in progress here. Part II: Animal Study includes Chapter II: Fish Study, Chapter III: Batrachian Study, Chapter IV: Reptile Study, and Chapter V: Mammal Study.
Parables from Nature by Mrs. Alfred Gatty.
The Aesop for Children by Milo Winter.
The Wonder Clock by Howard Pyle.
A Primary Reader by E. Louise Smyth

Not in the Public Domain

Trial and Triumph: Stories from Church History (1999) by Richard Hannula.
Benjamin Franklin (1998) by Ingri D'Aulaire.
George Washington (1996) by Ingri D'Aulaire.
Buffalo Bill (1998) by Ingri D'Aulaire.
Paddle-to-the-Sea (1941) by Holling C. Holling.
James Herriot's Treasury for Children by James Herriot.
All of the recommended Phonics, Mathematics and Foreign Language books.
A Child's Book of Poems (1969) by Gyo Fujikawa. ??
The Oxford Book of Children's Verse (1951) by Iona and Peter Opie.
Charlotte's Web (1952) by E.B. White.
St. George and the Dragon (1984) by Margaret Hodges.
Little House in the Big Woods (1932) by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Pocahontas (1998) by Ingri D'Aulaire.

Booklist for Year 2

LibriVox recordings

The Bible
Many recordings available including American Standard Version and King James Version. For recordings of all versions, please see this search.

An Island Story Part 1 and An Island Story Part 2 by H. E. Marshall.
This Country of Ours by H. E. Marshall.
The Discovery of New Worlds by M. B. Synge.
The Story of Mankind by Hendrik van Loon.
The Little Duke by Charlotte Yonge.
The Burgess Animal Book for Children by Thornton Burgess.
Many recordings of poems by Eugene Field.
Poems by James Whitcomb Riley.
A number of poems by Christina Rossetti.
A number of poems by Walter de la Mare
See also Poems Every Child Should Know edited by Mary E. Burt.
Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb.
The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan.
Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher.
Several recordings of The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame.
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle.
Heidi by Joanna Spyri.
Tanglewood Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Five Little Peppers books by Margaret Sidney.
Many recordings in multiple languages of Hans Christian Andersen's Tales.
Pied Piper of Hamlin by Robert Browning.
Five Children and It by Edith Nesbit.
The Doctor Dolittle books by Hugh Lofting.
Otto of the Silver Hand by Howard Pyle.
Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock. This recording includes Part I, The Teaching of Nature-Study and Part II, Animal Life, Chapter I, Bird Study. Recording of Part 2 is in progress here. Part II: Animal Study includes Chapter II: Fish Study, Chapter III: Batrachian Study, Chapter IV: Reptile Study, and Chapter V: Mammal Study.
Parables from Nature by Mrs. Alfred Gatty.
A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

In the Public Domain, but not yet recorded

Sing-Song: a nursery rhyme book by Christina Rossetti. Text on Penn Libraries In Progress here

Not in the Public Domain

Leif the Lucky (1995) by D'Aulaire
Columbus (1996) by D'Aulaire
A Child's History of the World (1997) by Virgil Hillyer.
Trial and Triumph: Stories from Church History (1999) by Richard Hannula.
Joan of Arc (1998) by Diane Stanley.
Tree in the Trail (1942) by Holling C. Holling.
Seabird (1948) by Holling C. Holling.
Pagoo (1957) by Holling C Holling.
All of the recommended Phonics, Mathematics and Foreign Language books.
Abraham Lincoln (2015) by Ingri D'Aulaire.
Little House on the Prairie (1935) by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Farmer Boy (1933) by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Mary Poppins (1934) by P.L. Travers.
Brighty of the Grand Canyon (1953) by Marguerite Henry.
Mr. Popper's Penguins (1938) by Richard Atwater.
Chanticleer and the Fox (1958) by Barbara Cooney.
Along Came A Dog (1959) by Meindert De Jong.
The Door in the Wall (1950) by Marguerite De Angeli.

Booklist for Year 3

LibriVox recordings

The Bible
Many recordings available including American Standard Version and King James Version. For recordings of all versions, please see this search.

An Island Story Part 1 and An Island Story Part 2 by H. E. Marshall.
This Country of Ours by H. E. Marshall.
The Discovery of New Worlds by M. B. Synge.
The Story of Mankind by Hendrik van Loon.
The Awakening of Europe by M. B. Synge.
Songs of Innocence and Experience by William Blake.
Poems of William Blake by William Blake.
all recordings of works by William Blake.
all recordings of poems by Sara Teasdale.
Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Collection Vol. 001 by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
All recordings of poems by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
See also Poems Every Child Should Know edited by Mary E. Burt.
Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb.
The Heroes, or Greek Fairy Tales for my Children by Charles Kingsley.
The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan.
The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald.
The Children of the New Forest by Frederick Marryat.
The Jungle Book Books 1 and 2, by Rudyard Kipling.
A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley.
At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald.
Men of Iron by Howard Pyle.
Alice's Adventures In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.
Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll.
English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs.
Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock. This recording includes Part I, The Teaching of Nature-Study and Part II, Animal Life, Chapter I, Bird Study. Recording of Part 2 is in progress here. Part II: Animal Study includes Chapter II: Fish Study, Chapter III: Batrachian Study, Chapter IV: Reptile Study, and Chapter V: Mammal Study.
Parables from Nature by Mrs. Alfred Gatty.
The Bears of Blue River by Charles Major.
New! Ways of Wood Folk by William J. Long.
Unknown to History: Captivity of Mary of Scotland by Charlotte Yonge.
More English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs.

In the Public Domain, but not yet recorded

Poems By a Little Girl by Hilda Conkling. Text on Project Gutenberg.

Not in the Public Domain

A Child's History of the World (1997) by Virgil Hillyer.
Trial and Triumph: Stories from Church History (1999) by Richard Hannula.
Da Vinci (1956) by Emily Hahn.
Michelangelo (2000) by Diane Stanley.
Bard of Avon: The Story of William Shakespeare (1992) by Peter Vennema and Diane Stanley.
Good Queen Bess (1990) by Diane Stanley.
Squanto (1988) by Feenie Ziner.
Landing of the Pilgrims (1981) by James Daugherty.
All the Marco Polo books, as far as I can see.
A Child's Geography: Explore His Earth (2008) by Ann Voskamp
Science Lab in a Supermarket (1998) by Robert Friedhoffer.
All About Famous Inventors and Their Inventions (1955) by Fletcher Pratt.
Exploring Creation With . . . series ( first book 2004) by Jeannie Fulbright.
All of the recommended Mathematics and Foreign Language books.
American Tall Tales (1976) by Adrien Stoutenburg
Swallows and Amazons (1930) by Arthur Ransome.
Caddie Woodlawn (1935) by Carol Ryrie Brink.
On the Banks of Plum Creek (1937) by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
The Little White Horse (1946) by Elizabeth Goudge.
The Saturdays (1941) by Elizabeth Enright.
King of the Wind (1948) by Marguerite Henry.
The Four Story Mistake (1942) by Elizabeth Enright.
Then There Were Five (1944) by Elizabeth Enright.
The Wheel on the School (1954) by Meindert De Jong.

Booklist for Year 3.5

LibriVox recordings

The Bible
Many recordings available including American Standard Version and King James Version. For recordings of all versions, please see this search.

On The Shores of the Great Sea by M. B. Synge.
Four Great Americans by James Baldwin.
By Pond and River by A. Buckley.
Wild Life in Woods and Fields by A. Buckley.
English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs.
The Arabian Nights Entertainments by Andrew Lang.
Men of Iron by Howard Pyle.
At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald.
Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sidney.
Just David by Eleanor H. Porter.
Five Litte Peppers Midway by Margaret Sidney.
The Enchanted Castle by E. Nesbit.
The Little Lame Prince by Dinah Maria Mulock Craik.
Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
The Happy Prince and Other Tales by Oscar Wilde.
Stories from the Faerie Queene by Mary Macleod.
Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock. This recording includes Part I, The Teaching of Nature-Study and Part II, Animal Life, Chapter I, Bird Study. Recording of Part 2 is in progress here. Part II: Animal Study includes Chapter II: Fish Study, Chapter III: Batrachian Study, Chapter IV: Reptile Study, and Chapter V: Mammal Study.
Howard Pyle's Book of Pirates by Howard Pyle.
Mother Carey's Chickens by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin.
The Story Book of Science by Jean Henri Fabre.
The Secret of Everyday Things by Jean Henri Fabre.
Secrets of the Woods by William J. Long.
Heroes Every Child Should Know by H.W. Mabie.
Thirty More Famous Stories Retold by James Baldwin.
The Story of Sir Walter Raleigh by Margaret Duncan Kelly.
A Little Brother to the Bear by William J. Long.
Stories of Don Quixote by James Baldwin.
Home Geography for Primary Grades by C. C. Long.
New! The Story of Napoleon by H.E. Marshall.

In the Public Domain, but not yet recorded

The Men Who Found America by Frederick Winthrop Hutchinson. Text on the Baldwin Project in progress

Not in the Public Domain

A Child's History of the World (1997) by Virgil Hillyer.
Oxford Book of Children's Verse (1951) by Iona and Peter Opie.
Bambi (1928) by Felix Salten.
The Good Master (1935) by Kate Seredy.
The Singing Tree (1939) by Kate Seredy.
The Moffats (1941) series by Eleanor Estes.

Booklist for Year 4

LibriVox recordings

The Bible
Many recordings available including American Standard Version and King James Version. For recordings of all versions, please see this search.

This Country of Ours by H. E. Marshall.
The Story of Mankind by Hendrik van Loon.
An Island Story Part 1 and An Island Story Part 2 by H. E. Marshall.
All recordings of poems by Alfred Lord Tennyson.
All recordings of poems by Emily Dickinson.
All recordings of poems by William Wordsworth.
See also Poems Every Child Should Know edited by Mary E. Burt.
The Age of Fable by Thomas Bulfinch.
The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.
Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving.
Paul Revere's Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving.
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell.
Pollyanna by Eleanor Porter.
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
The Railway Children by Edith Nesbit.
The Peterkin Papers by Lucretia Hale.
Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock. This recording includes Part I, The Teaching of Nature-Study and Part II, Animal Life, Chapter I, Bird Study. Recording of Part 2 is in progress here. Part II: Animal Study includes Chapter II: Fish Study, Chapter III: Batrachian Study, Chapter IV: Reptile Study, and Chapter V: Mammal Study.
Madam How and Lady Why by Charles Kingsley.
The Story Book of Science by Jean Henri Fabre.

In the Public Domain, but not yet recorded

A Book of Golden Deeds by Charlotte Yonge. Text on Project Gutenberg

Not in the Public Domain

A Child's History of the World (1997) by Virgil Hillyer.
George Washington's World (1941) by Genevieve Foster.
Trial and Triumph: Stories from Church History (1999) by Richard Hannula.
Poor Richard (2000) by James Daugherty.
Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution (1998) by Natalie S. Bober.
Minn of the Mississippi (1951) by Holling C. Holling.
A Child's Geography: Explore His Earth (2008) by Ann Voskamp.
All of the recommended Science and Mathematics books.
The Incredible Journey (1960) by Sheila Burnford.
Bambi (1923) by Felix Salten.
The Chronicles of Narnia (1950-1956) series by C.S. Lewis.
Little Britches (1950) series by Ralph Moody.
The Borrowers (1952) by Mary Norton.
Lassie Come Home (1940) by Eric Knight.
Gentle Ben (1965) by Walt Morey.
Gone Away Lake (1957) by Elizabeth Enright.
Thimble Summer (1938) by Elizabeth Enright.
Return To Gone Away (1961) by Elizabeth Enright.
By the Shores of Silver Lake (1939) by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Calico Captive (1957) by Elizabeth George Speare.
The Sign of the Beaver (1983) by Elizabeth George Speare.
Johnny Tremain (1943) by Esther Forbes.
Tree of Freedom (1949) by Rebecca Caudill.
Amos Fortune, Free Man (1950) by Elizabeth Yates.
The Reb and the Redcoats (1961) by Constance Savery.
Justin Morgan had a Horse (1945) by Marguerite Henry.

This list continues on Recordings_of_Books_on_the_Ambleside_List_2

List compiled 14 April 2010, by RuthieG
Last Update 28 Jan 2019, Dlolso21