So much of our lives are dominated by screens, with visual information being pumped at us constantly from TVs, phones and computers, but is this a healthy example for us to set for our children and grandchildren? Voxblock has developed a child-friendly, screen-free audiobook player to help inspire children’s imagination and love of storytelling. 

With the majority of parents having busy working lives, it’s too easy to fall into the trap of letting the kids watch TV or play computer games to keep them amused, even at a very young age. This overstimulation can cause problems with sleep patterns, creating plenty of stress for parents and kids alike. Voxblock is a simple system designed for children to use without the need for an internet connection or password. They select the book they want to listen to, push it into the player and hit the play button. 

Rebecca Lundgren and Tom Williams created the concept after seeing the positive response from their daughter to cassette-based audiobooks that Rebecca herself had listened to as a child. “Watching our own daughter listen to and love my old storybook cassettes was a revelation, and we asked ourselves, why is she switching to these tapes over a screen?” commented Rebecca. “We realised that the simplicity of the format was allowing her to become more engrossed in the story, without the distractions and stresses of getting connected and being on a screen.” 

Voxblock audiobook for kids

The idea was a hit with some of the UK’s publishing houses. Voxblock has signed deals with houses including Harper Collins, Hachette and Scholastic, allowing it to offer classics such as The Wind In The Willows and Peter Pan and the works of more contemporary children’s authors such as Malorie Blackman and Anthony Horowitz. 

From the child’s perspective, they can listen to whatever they want to, wherever they want to. The unit is rechargeable, lightweight and robust, with a great selection of storybooks to suit young minds from three to twelve years old. There’s also a headphone socket, so they can listen to stories without disturbing those around them. 

From a parent’s perspective, it’s a safe way for kids to absorb a wide range of literature, with no screen time involved and no connection to the internet. It doesn’t have to be a solitary event either — listen along with them as they get ready for bed, making bedtime hassle-free and relaxing for everyone.

Tested: Voxblock Screen-Free Audiobook Reader

The Voxblock audio reader, which starts at £60, is a good size for little hands to hold. The addition of the protective bumper — available in three bright colours — makes it a little easier to grip, although a softer, more malleable version would make the unit feel more tactile, as it is still rather hard.

Putting the book into play is very simple; it just drops in and is held in place by magnets, although dislodging it isn’t difficult with a shake or if it’s dropped. The good news is that if the cartridge is dislodged and stops playing, the book picks up exactly where it left off as soon as it is reconnected. 

Voxblock audiobook for kids

The controls are child’s play, too, with a large play button that starts and stops the audio reading, with plus and minus buttons to adjust the volume, and forward and back buttons to skip chapters.

The sound quality is surprisingly impressive, with crisp and clear audio making it easy to pick out the dialogue.

The book cartridges have been created to look like mini books so they can be stored on a bookshelf with the titles visible on the spines. While I applaud the environmental thought here, as they seem to be constructed from compressed cardboard with a book jacket stuck around three sides, this leaves the faux pages exposed. This enhances the book-like aesthetic, but I do fear that these could be very easily peeled apart by unsupervised little hands, as the edges are pretty easy to raise with little effort. 

Overall, it is a neat, easy-to-use system that even little hands can work without effort. The range of books available is impressive, but compared to buying the actual book, the prices can be rather high — between £6 for a single book to £38 for an author collection — without adding in the £60 cost of the Voxblock base unit. It is something that would keep children entertained on a car journey or allow them to spend time away from screens at home.

More importantly, the Voxblock system gives young children independence and ownership of their time, allowing them to pick up an audiobook and listen to a story — or even meditation and relaxation programmes — on their own terms.

It’s not going to replace the traditional bedtime story, but the audiobook reader does open up a range of possibilities for entertaining young children and letting them keep themselves entertained.

Sam Huff
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