7 Comments / By Prairie Roots Homeschool
As a parent, you probably know the benefits of reading to your kids. With all the other financial responsibilities of being a parent, buying books to fill your child’s library can sometimes end up last on the list.
Let’s help you fill up those shelves without breaking the bank by finding free, that’s right, FREE, books!
In this post, we’ll talk about seven different places to get free kids’ books online sent straight to your mailbox. We’ll also cover ways to find free books locally, download free e-books for children, and places to snag discounted books. There are even some incentive programs where your kids can earn rewards for reading.
*Just so you know, this page contains affiliate and referral links. As an affiliate and Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See my full disclosure here.
7 Simple Ways to Get Free Children's Books by Mail
This program is available in five countries and sends more than one million books to kids around the world per month. It is not available in all locations, but it’s worth a look. Just go to the website and register your child to check availability.
If your kid is between the ages of five and nine and also into comic books, then they might be a fan of this option. Lego Life will send a magazine with posters, activities, etc. to you four times a year if you make an account and fill out the form.
Fresh Fiction will send you newly written young adult fiction books for free if you are willing to write up reviews about them. This might be a good option if you are looking to read some books with your teenager.
This company sends twelve free books in braille to kids who need them. To enroll in the program your child must be legally blind or low-vision. You can follow this link to fill out the application or print it out and send it in.
Peta will send you a free “Kid’s Guide to Helping Animals” magazine if you fill out the form on their website. This could be a good resource for homeschooling or even just teaching your kids about the proper way to treat animals.
If you subscribe to Dr. Suess and Friends, you’ll receive five free classic books and a backpack for just the price of shipping. Dr. Suess is a good option because rhyming books are great for early readers. Just don’t forget to cancel the subscription if you want to avoid additional fees.
The NSCEP will send you a free activity book in the mail to help you teach your kids about different environmental topics. They even have some Spanish options to choose from.
If you cannot find the books you want for free to be sent to your mailbox, then there are a couple of options for hunting them down locally:
- Your local library:
All you have to do is sign up for a library card, and you will have hundreds of books at your fingertips. Don’t forget that an interlibrary loan makes it possible to get a book you want to read even if your library doesn’t have it.
- Buy nothing groups on Facebook:
Buy nothing groups are a new movement that is quickly sweeping the world. Just go to your Facebook app and look to see if there are any groups in your community.
- Craigslist or Freecycle:
More options for free books. Make sure to check daily because free stuff tends to go fast.
- Little Free Libraries: This is a wonderful way to get free books by just going on a walk with your kids. Do a quick search on their website to find where the nearest Little Free Library is for you. Then grab your kiddos and go find some free books for them. If you’re feeling generous, you can donate books you no longer need in exchange for your new ones.
Free e-books are very easy to find, and although they don’t work for everyone, they are a great option if you have older kids who like to read on their own.
- Libby: Libby is an app that uses local libraries to give you free audiobooks. Keep in mind sometimes there is a wait time for books.
- YouTube: Several YouTube accounts create read-aloud videos for children to follow along with. From classics to easy readers and foreign language to holiday themes, I’m sure you’ll be able to find something that suits your needs.
- Amazon And Barnes and Noble: Both have some free children’s e-books available to download onto a Kindle or other reading device.
- The Library of Congress:Has a great resource where you can find some classics that have been put online to read for free.
- Goodreads:This website has a “shelf” of free kids’ books.
- Freekidsbooks.org: This resource has a wide variety of kids’ books to read online or even download as pdfs.
- Project Gutenberg: Gutenburg might have invented the printing press, but Project Gutenberg is trying to get the classics to people for free. They have kids’ books for all ages.
- Story Cartel: A website where you can get free books in exchange for reviews.
- United States Postal Service: The USPS has an educational activity booklet that is free to print.
- Christian Books: Here you can find some free faith-based e-books for kids. They also have some free printable activity books, like this insect one.
Places to Grab Almost-Free Books
Okay, so maybe these options aren’t free, but they almost are. If you are willing to spend some money on books but have a low budget, this is a great place to start. Listed below are seven places where you can find both used and new books at low cost.
- Goodwill: At most Goodwill stores, softcover books are $0.99, and hardcover books are $1.39. The majority of other thrift stores have comparable prices.
- The Book Bundler: A great way to buy a bunch of books for super cheap. This company sells books in bulk at a very low cost. They have them in categories and age groups to make things easier when shopping.
- Amazon:When looking for a specific book, always check to see if there are used ones for cheaper. Amazon even categorizes the listings based on the book condition.
- Thrift Books: Thrift Books is a large online bookstore that sells new and used books cheaper than most other retailers. Join their ReadingRewards, and if you make a purchase of $30 or more with my referral link, then you’ll earn a FREE book.
- Half Price Books: This bookstore has a great website for finding cheap books and also has some brick-and-mortar stores throughout the country.
- Book Outlet: This website offers new books at incredibly discounted prices. If you sign up for their emails, you can get $5 off your first purchase, and the more books you buy, the better deal you can get.
- First Book: On this website, publishers donate books, and they send them at just the cost of shipping. They have some learning resources available as well. Keep in mind that you need to have a company name to register, so this doesn’t work well for homeschoolers.
There are also programs that motivate kids to read by offering fun rewards. Most local libraries have summer reading programs, and then you can also check out these out these other options:
If you have kids grades 1-6, they can read eight books during summer break and then fill out the form on the website about what they read, print it out, and present it in store for a free book.
This company had a summer reading program last year where kids who read 300 minutes won a $5 gift card.
Do you remember this from when you were a kid? Because I sure do! The Pizza Hut Book It! is a free reading incentive program that’s designed for students in pre-k through sixth grade and is available for classrooms and homeschool families. When students reach their reading goal, they earn a free, one-topping Personal Pan Pizza!
Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to comment with your favorite way to find free books, and let us know if there’s any that we missed. Share this post with your friends so we can keep all the free book love going!
