The Top 5 Channels for Spanish Read-Alouds on YouTube
Read-alouds play a pivotal role in every child’s educational journey. But sometimes our Spanish selection doesn’t quite stack up to what we own in English. Even in our household. My daughter has a ton of English books, but maybe two or three books in Spanish (and we live in Spain!). Which is where Spanish read-alouds on YouTube come swooping in to save the day.
Now it’s obviously not the same as having a physical book, but it does help supplement when we can’t get to the library, haven’t built our Spanish library as we should have, or just need a quick change of pace.
Due to the pandemic, there have been quite a few teachers and celebrities posting Spanish read-alouds on YouTube, but I’ve narrowed my selection to established channels with a lengthy list of Spanish titles.
These videos can be used in the classroom or at home, just for fun or to supplement a lesson. I’ve primarily stuck with videos that showcase the books, instead of the person reading so that you can more easily adapt it to your likes and needs—like muting and pausing the video to read the book yourself or to discuss the story.
The 5 Best Channels for Spanish Read-Alouds on YouTube
BookBox Spanish
BookBox creates original animated books, narrated, and subtitled in over 45 languages. This link will send you to their BookBox Spanish videos. While you won’t find the latest bestsellers, BookBox is a fantastic resource for novice Spanish speakers. The text is simple, read slowly, and the subtitles light up as each word is spoken. They have over 40 titles that are organized by reading level. Perfect for use in schools or at home.
Scholastic Storybook Treasures
Scholastic Storybook Treasures’ En Español playlist offers nearly 30 titles. These are animated books set to music and narrated by native speakers. The quality is great and their selection of books includes elementary classroom essentials like Crisantemo and Strega Nona. The only downside is that the videos don’t show text, so kids (and adults) can’t read along with the narrator.
Read Tia Carla
A more traditional read-aloud channel, Read Tia Carla, has a variety of Spanish, English, and Bilingual books. She uses books found at her local library and they are all approved by her nephew (adorable!). The camera is panned down on the book as Tia Carla reads, so you can easily pause to read the text yourself if needed.
READ IT AGAIN
This storyteller is a voice-over artist with a plethora of English, Spanish, and bilingual titles available on her READ IT AGAIN YouTube channel. Her approach is a simple read-aloud format with the camera focused on the physical book and no additional commentary. She’s got a great list of books to choose from and is well worth checking out.
KidTime StoryTime
Last but not least, this mystery storyteller is a working actress with over 70 bilingual titles “read with love, personality, and puppets.” The read-alouds are more English-focused and highly entertaining. The camera shows the physical book and a few puppets, while she reads the story and gives commentary. KidTime StoryTime has one of the largest available lists of read-alouds on YouTube and continues to produce great content. She has over 70 titles on her bilingual playlist alone.
KidTime StoryTime Bilingual Playlist
KidTime StoryTime Hispanic Heritage Month Playlist
Click here to discover where to Find Spanish Kids’ Books Online, and if you need some book ideas check out my list of Spanish Kids’ Books about Tolerance and Diversity.
