Yes, you can encourage your kids to read—without going broke—with these free children's books online
20 Best Websites to Find Free Children’s Books Online
One of the best things you can do for your child is instill a love of reading early on. Reading the best books for their age can improve their language and writing skills, encourage a healthy imagination, increase their comprehension skills and boost creativity. Who doesn’t love getting lost in an imaginary world every now and then? The only downside: The cost of going through so many books over the course of a childhood can add up. Fortunately, there are many places to find free children’s books online, which makes it easier than ever to keep your kids engaged in reading.
To promote healthy reading habits without going broke, we curated a list of the best websites for kids to read books for free online. In addition to free online e-books, many of these websites offer free audiobooks for kids, if they prefer to listen along or haven’t learned to read themselves yet. It’s all about fueling their interest in books, even if they’re on a screen!
Read on for our list of the best websites to find free online books for kids to build their love of reading.
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Where to find free children’s books online
Barnes & Noble
Recommended for ages: 0–18
We often think of Barnes & Noble as one of the most loved bookstores that’s fought hard to keep its doors open to the public—and ironically, maybe one reason we still get to have the store around is that the company started selling books online too! But did you know that in addition to online books to buy, they also offer free online books for kids? Now, children can enjoy reading classics, new releases and bestsellers from Barnes & Noble for free, even when you can’t squeeze in a trip to the store. You still have to go through the checkout process online for the free books, but don’t let that stop you: There’s nothing like finding a cozy spot, grabbing a device and curling up to read an incredible book with your child.
Amazon
Recommended for ages: 0–18
The next time you’re on Amazon, don’t forget to browse for free e-books for your children. Amazon offers free Kindle e-books for kids, and you don’t even necessarily need an actual Amazon Kindle to read them—just the app. Simply download the Kindle app on your smartphone, tablet or computer, and your kids can read these free e-books with ease.
It’s a little tricky to find, so here’s how to get there:
- On Amazon, click on “Bestsellers.”
- From the Department menu on the left, choose Kindle Store.
- Click “Kindle eBooks,” then “Children’s eBooks.”
- Toggle the category to “Top 100 free.” Voila—you have 100 free options to choose from!
Storyline Online
Recommended for ages: 5–10
Storyline Online is an award-winning website featuring actors and actresses reading children’s stories on video. It’s a program of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, a nonprofit organization for actors that also helps provide children’s literacy programs to the public. Kevin Costner, Oprah Winfrey, Kristen Bell, Rami Malek and Meryl Streep are just a few of the readers you’ll find here. The goal of each book is to strengthen comprehension, verbal skills and written skills for English-language learners. Kids can follow along by reading subtitles, and they’ll get some glimpses of the animated artwork throughout the videos. How can you resist a good site like this that has great stories, supports ESL reading and helps children who are struggling to read on their own?
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Barbershop Books
Recommended for ages: 4–11
Barbershop Books is a brilliant resource for finding free children’s books online. This unique platform focuses on improving literacy rates and outcomes, especially for Black boys and vulnerable children. Its thoughtfully curated collection of independently published e-books written by Brown and Black authors features fun story-time videos that can resonate with young readers and inspire a lifelong love of reading. The free online books for kids are simple to navigate to and allow a young reader to click through the pages of each book with ease, complete with the added sound effect of pages turning. Just like the real thing!
Oxford Owl
Recommended for ages: 3–11
Oxford Owl, established by Oxford University Press, is dedicated to helping children learn multiple subjects, including math, writing and reading, with an entire section just for free e-books for children. You’ll get to choose from a vast assortment of fiction and nonfiction books. Plus, the books are helpfully divided up into age groups, so you can easily pick one based on your child’s age and start cultivating their love for reading. It’s worth noting that the e-books on this platform are not optimized to work on mobile phones and should be viewed on a computer, tablet or laptop to function properly.
OverDrive/Libby
Recommended for ages: 0–18
The OverDrive website and its companion app, Libby, are incredible resources for book lovers of all ages. If you have a library card, you can borrow and read free e-books, audiobooks and magazines using your computer, phone or tablet. In the children’s book section, you can filter based on what type of book you want to borrow, such as free audiobooks or books available without waiting. There’s a huge list to choose from, so we wouldn’t be shocked if your kids found their new favorite on this website. Just be aware that because this is library-based, the available book options will vary depending on what’s in the library your card is attached to.
Hoopla
Recommended for ages: 0–18
Use your library card to access free kids books online with Hoopla, a Netflix-esque website and mobile app for books. Unlike other library apps, your kids can explore e-books, graphic novels and audiobooks here without dealing with any waitlists, because Hoopla lets you borrow and read instantly. Books are also synched across devices, so you can pick up where you left off easily. One of the best aspects of Hoopla is that the app comes with a Kid’s Mode option, which limits searchable content to books recommended for ages 12 and under, ensuring that younger kids are seeing only kid-appropriate reads. The available books and the number of borrows permitted per month, however, are limited and set by your local library, so if you have two or more library cards, you may find different books available and experience varying book-borrowing limitations.
Library of Congress
Recommended for ages: 5–18
In addition to being the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution, the Library of Congress is also the largest library in the world—and has many free resources that encourage kids to read, write and get inspired by the written word. You can explore the site to find free books your children will love, including classic stories you may have read as a child, like The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle by Beatrix Potter. It is limited to books in the public domain, however, so you will not find some of the newer books out there on this platform.
Open Library
Recommended for ages: 5–18
Another great website to get free children’s books online, Open Library is part of Internet Archive, a nonprofit collection of millions of free books, movies, music and more. The website currently has more than 37,000 works for children to explore, including literary classic novels like The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and David Copperfield. There’s also a section where you can find books for children based on their reading level, ranging from preschool through 12th grade.
Freechildrenstories.com
Recommended for ages: 3–12
The Freechildrenstories.com website features a variety of unique and beautifully illustrated children’s books. All the books available on this platform were written and produced by Daniel Errico, a bestselling children’s book author who believes in promoting childhood literacy. Errico has also created the Hulu original series The Bravest Knight, made animated shorts and worked with the United Nations and the PBS Online Film Festival. Freechildrenstories.com holds to the “simple principle that children’s development is paramount,” and subsequently has the mission to reach every reader around the world with meaningful storytelling online, for free. The books on the site are good for ages 3 through middle grades.
Loyal Books
Recommended for ages: 6–13
An excellent resource for free books online, Loyal Books’s collection is displayed in grids with their covers, making the search for a new read easy, particularly for visual learners. Better yet, when you click on a book, you can see a descriptive summary, available e-book and audio formats and platforms for free reading—then just take your pick! Some of the free online books for kids can be streamed or read directly on the site, and others have download options or can open in your e-reader. The books in the collection, like The Swiss Family Robinson and Chronicles of Avonlea, are all free public domain, but the site’s infrastructure is so navigable and visually compelling that even older classics might become instant favorites for your child.
Project Gutenberg
Recommended for ages: 6–13
Project Gutenberg offers a library of more than 60,000 free e-books, with an impressive collection of children’s books available online. You can sort the books a number of ways, including by most popular or newest. Classic titles include The Secret Garden, Little Women and Black Beauty. Let your kids browse and discover what piques their interest—with so much to choose from, they’re bound to find one (or more) they love.
Storynory
Recommended for ages: 7–11
There are places to get free children’s books online, and then there are places like Storynory, where you can listen to children’s stories as you read the text. Most of their free audiobooks are aimed at kids 7 to 11 years old, but there are some for older and younger children as well. Content available on Storynory includes both original works and classic literature for children—think Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz. You can read and listen right on the website, use the Storynory app or listen to their podcast. The site isn’t the easiest to search (and look out for the ads masquerading as part of the website), but we included it because of its wealth of good options for kids.
Bookbot Kids
Recommended for ages: 5–9
This award-winning literacy platform for children has been the recipient of funding from UNICEF Venture Fund as well as EdTech awards for international technology. The website focuses on tried-and-true phonics principles and practices, and even has some interactive reading opportunities for children—but the best part is its robust collection of free books for the children in your life. Free books can be searched for by reading level or topic category, and you can choose to download a PDF, open in the available app or even view on your browser (though it can take a few seconds to load).
Books come with a “read-aloud” version to help young readers develop, highlighting words as they are spoken to enhance following along and pronunciation. Another great perk of the platform is how many books have been adapted or translated from other languages, ensuring kids can read around the world. Our take? Check it out with your child as soon as possible, and consider connecting to this reading platform on social media to get updates on new books.
Simon Teen
Recommended for ages: 13–18
While teenagers may not like being seen as children, it’s worth including at least one site where your teen can find some great new books geared just for them. Simon Teen is a fantastic option for finding the best books for teens—free! On the site, run by publishing giant Simon & Schuster, teenagers can check out options for fun and diverse YA fiction. New books are available for free only for limited periods—but that’s exactly long enough to devour a hot new read!
Wilbooks
Recommended for ages: 5–9
On Wilbooks you can find free online books for kids from kindergarten through third grade. Some of the nonfiction books for kids include topics such as facts about animals, as well as brain busters, jokes and educational fiction stories all geared toward early readers. Simply select the grade level your child is in and get to reading! Plus, Wilbooks is not limited to English alone—it offers free children’s books in Spanish too.
International Children’s Digital Library
Recommended for ages: 3–13
If you want your child to read stories from all over the world, the International Children’s Digital Library (ICDL) is a great place to find them thanks to the ICDL Foundation, a nonprofit organization that encourages children around the globe to read. The free online library has children’s books in 59 languages from numerous countries, making it a great choice for multilingual readers. Take a look at the website to access kids books that go beyond the borders of your home.
BookSpring
Recommended for ages: 3–8
A nonprofit organization based in central Texas, BookSpring aims to help children gain access to books, build literacy and develop a lifelong love of reading. The nonprofit has a number of programs for families and at-home learning resources, but one of its coolest features is a free online digital library of more than 400 e-books for kids, along with links to several other places to source more free books. BookSpring partnered with Unite for Literacy to develop this library for early readers on topics like animals, family life and holidays. The site also features both an English and a Spanish collection, with a focus on diverse children’s books, multilingual readers and ESL reading options. Most books are simply click-and-read right there on the website, but you can also download an app to read the books on your mobile device.
Free Kids Books
Recommended for ages: 2–18
The name says it all: You can use this website to find free online books for kids, and it has lots of options to explore, including books for ESL readers. Access the books online, or download them as PDFs. You can sort books based on your child’s age, grade or what subjects they’re interested in, and even rate and review the books your child reads. Bonus: This site includes online children’s books free in other languages, such as Farsi, French, German, Hindi and Spanish.
Storyberries
Recommended for ages: 0–12
If you’re looking for free bedtime stories for your child, as well as fairy-tale stories and poems for children, Storyberries is the website for you. It allows you to sort by different factors, including your child’s age, the topic of the book and how long it takes to read—something that will come in very handy if you’re looking for a five-minute bedtime story. The website also provides read-along videos your child can watch, plus questions to ask your child after the story wraps, which can lead to insightful conversations about what the story means to them.
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