It’s not a new service, but one I only recently read about… the Toronto Public Library in Canada has a service called “Dial-A-Story”, which you can call any time to listen to stories. The stories are for “younger children” (aged up to 7) or “older children” (from age 7 to 12). One can choose stories from 16 different languages.

Unless you want to rack up a big phone bill if you’re in South Africa, it’s best to stick to telling bedtime stories at home. However, I do love the concept of this service for introducing kids to new stories, and for something a little different.