Reading books to children soon after they’re born can translate to more advanced language and vocabulary skills, and when you can get free children’s books in the mail, there’s no reason not to read to them.
A lot of research has been done to prove this. you probably also know in your heart that it’s a fact.
But sometimes buying children’s books can be expensive. especially for book-loving kids who eat book after book.
To support your child’s brain development while staying true to your monthly budget, you can receive free children’s books by mail (yes, mail and email).
this is how:
20 ways to get free children’s books by mail
nothing beats the smell of books, as you turn the book one page at a time.
If you’re a fan of old school reading and want to read your child from print books, here are several websites to join:
1. dolly parton’s library of imagination
This is probably the most popular resource on the list.
Of course it is!
It was created by legendary country music singer-songwriter Dolly Parton and has since mailed more than 120 million books in the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland.
Like the site’s 1.5 million users, you must register your children to participate in the book giveaway program. Kids (ages 0-5) can get books from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
The great thing about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is that once your child is registered, the organization will automatically deliver a book to your home and give your child mail to look forward to.
The only downside to this site is that it’s only available in select areas. to find out if your area can be accommodated, check the website. also, the children who receive books are those 5 years old and younger (particularly children who are not yet in school).
2. read come
If you are training bilingual children to love reading, readcomingo could be a great resource for you and your child. You can access books in English and Spanish aimed at children from preschool to fifth grade.
print books are only available for delivery if you live in certain areas of california, florida and texas. children’s books by mail only ship every four months.
However, anyone can access the readme library after registering. So far, there are 43 bilingual children’s books on the web-based “shelf”. you can download free book samples once you join and read them right from the me mobile app.
3. barnes and noble summer reading program
this is a bit different.
Technically, you’ll first need to purchase several books (8 to be exact) that your child chooses from a list of pre-grouped titles for specific age groups.
The idea behind this is for kids to read books all summer long and keep a “summer reading journal” detailing the parts they loved about each book. Once your child’s journal is complete, you and your child should visit your nearest Barnes and Noble branch (sometime between May and September) to receive a free book.
trade books with other book lovers
If your kids have graduated from nursery rhymes and want to move on to fairy tales, one way to get free children’s books is to trade them with other book lovers.
In most cases, you must register with the book exchange website.
From there, you can make a list of the books you’re ready to put down or wait for other people to search for those titles. Either way, once you find a match, you have to bear the shipping cost. then you will receive points or credits as good karma, and you will have the opportunity to request a book.
Please note that each site would have its own trading system, so please check the rules first before trading books.
4. librarian
This site works on a points system.
first you make a list of the titles of the books you want to give away.
Each time you receive an interest request, you must mail the books. You’ll receive points for each “trade”, which you can then use to request books from other people.
5. free book exchange
available only in the united states.
Unlike other exchange sites where you would have to pay the shipping cost to ship it, the recipient pays an average of $3.28 to ship a book.
The wish list feature is searchable, which means you have a better chance of finding a match for your book titles.
6. paperbackswap.com
This is the largest book club in existence with over 1.5 million books ready to swap at any time.
paperbackswap works similarly to other book swap sites, except you’ll have more free children’s book title options.
You have to pay to ship the books you send to others, but the ones you order will be shipped free of charge.
free books in exchange for reviews
7. cool fiction
If you have a knack for writing, fresh fiction can be an amazing hobby for book lovers.
This is because the website offers you free books, if you are willing to write a review.
however, not everyone can become a reviewer (there is a quick test for those interested).
once you’re accepted as a book reviewer, you’ll have access to a wealth of books online. You can have physical copies of books delivered to your home by mail.
The site never runs out of titles and is also home to hundreds of children’s books! Most of the titles here come directly from the authors, and freshfiction sells the best books as part of a bookbox subscription through its sister site freshfictionbox.com.
8. net galley
Book authors submit their preliminary copies of their books to netgalley.
from there, users like you and me can read books for free, but write a review in return.
Categories are not easy to find, but netgalley has both fiction and non-fiction sections for children.
9. onlinebookclub.org
This web-based book club has been in existence for over 10 years.
With more than 300,000 members, the club gives away a free book in exchange for a review.
If you eat the books quickly, you can even turn this into a gig to earn money after your first review. the online book club also pays experienced book reviewers between $5 and $60.
10. enchanted book promotions
This company offers promotion services to authors and publishers.
One effective way that haunted book promotions spread the word of a particular book is through book reviews, which they relay to regular people like you and me.
unlike other websites on this list, this company allows users to post reviews on their own blogs, amazon or goodreads. In exchange for the book review, users get free books.
The company updates the list of books available for review. check it out here and just fill out the form if you’re interested.
11. lola book tours
Lola’s book tours are similar to enchanted book promotions.
Both companies provide promotional services to emerging authors to reach a broader audience.
book reviewers can get a copy of the books for free. you just have to post the review on your blog, or personal goodreads or amazon account.
See the “Open Review Opportunities” section for a list of available books. Aside from adult fiction, Lola’s regularly has free children’s books and young adult categories.
free books online: how to send free books to your child’s tablet
Unlike paperbacks and hard copies of books, digital versions are easier to find.
with eBooks, you can:
- download free pdf of books online and print them (with real pages)
- download free pdf of books online and access the pdf via a phone or tablet reading app
- buy an electronic reading tablet or “e-reader” (such as a kindle or kobo), then find free books for your children directly at their respective libraries
12. amazon kindle
If you’re looking for free kindle books for kids, there’s no better resource than direct from amazon (creator of kindle).
The children’s ebook section is divided into two: the top 100 paid and the top 100 free, both updated hourly.
you need to have an amazon account, so you can simply “buy” the ebook with 1 click. From there, all you have to do is check on your kindle device to see if the book you chose was sent successfully.
It’s hard to run out of free children’s books at Amazon’s Kindle Library, so take advantage of this amazing resource. Or better yet, check out this amazing list of 200+ free kindle books for kids, compiled by goodreads users around the world, to get you started…
13. freekidsbooks.org
This website may look outdated, but it contains millions of free books that you can download without paying a dime.
Titles are sorted by age group only, but you can find clickable tags in each listing (such as public domain, non-fiction, cars, countdown, author name, etc.).
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You have the option to read the book online or download its free pdf version.
14. project gutenberg
if you’re trying to find classic children’s books like “the tale of peter rabbit” and “peter pan”, there’s a good chance project gutenberg has it.
In fact, the Gutenberg Project has more subcategories of children’s books, including school stories, children’s myths and fairy tales, and children’s fiction (among others).
The site has a whopping 56,000 free books in pdf version, which you can download for free and enjoy for as long as you like.
just type “kids” or “kids” in the search field and enjoy!
15. openlibrary.org
Like the gutenberg project, openlibrary is a site with a huge catalog.
You can borrow one copy at a time (from their 3 million e-books in the lending library) and finish reading for up to two weeks.
openlibrary has books dating from 1450 to this year, with children’s favorites like “gulliver’s travels”, “alice in wonderland”, “the adventures of huckleberry finn”, etc. Browse through the Junior Fiction and Junior Literature sections to explore hundreds of children’s book titles.
16. freechildrenstories.com
The free children’s books here will definitely be new to you.
That’s because this website features original children’s stories perfect for ages 3-5, 5-8, and 8-10, as well as “middle graders.”
You’ll love the illustrations, which seem to be designed for the “eye” of this generation.
Some books here are not free, but are available for as low as 99 cents through barnesandnoble.com.
17. kidsworldfun.com
There is no shortage of free children’s books at kids world fun.
all ebooks listed here are free to read, download and enjoy anytime, anywhere.
There are also children’s poems, stories and quotes to introduce your child to other forms of literature.
18. read.gov
Sponsored by the United States Library of Congress, read.gov helps promote literature to young children.
There are many classic children’s book titles available here, from “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens to “Cinderella”.
You can also read free books directly from the site! you don’t need to download it as a pdf and read it in a separate ebook reader.
19. bibliomania
Not the most user-friendly website out there, but definitely another website to bookmark simply for having 800 classic books.
If you can’t find the children’s book you need on project gutenberg and openlibrary.org, you can try your luck here.
“the jungle book”, “huckleberry finn”, “oliver twist” and other children’s fiction books are available to read anytime you want.
20. book
bookbub organizes e-books for you.
titles are available for any platform or device, including kobo, google, apple, kindle, barnes&noble and more.
A lot of the books here aren’t free, but they do offer free books from time to time. if you’re lucky, you’ll be able to read lovely free books for kids and high school students without costing you a dime.
free children’s books by mail are a win for all
You can also get free children’s books from your own neighborhood or donate books you no longer need (and are willing to let go).
be sure to visit little free libraries and overdrive to find the nearest free library in your area.
Do you want to receive more material by mail besides books?
Check out this huge list of free samples that can be mailed right to your door. here is a different list of free samples, but only exclusive to baby products.