Download Free Kids Books
Children's texts can be very expensive, and many parents are finding resources to download free kids books. While the library is the most generous resource for free books for children, the Internet can be an excellent resource to consider, especially for individuals looking for free printable books.
How to Download Free Kids Books
The first step is to establish which books are available as legal downloads. Many wonderful children's books are in the public domain, including classic fairy tales. Some modern books, including Diary of a Wimpy Kid, can also be read online at no cost. Here are some sites to check out:
- Free Books for Kids has a nice collection of books, including popular titles like Tom Sawyer.
- Ebook 88 features free ebooks as well as titles for sale.
Google EBooks for Download
Google has many free ebooks available for download, including children's books. In order to download free kids books from Google, follow these steps:
- Register an account with Google.
- Visit you account page.
- Go to "Book Search".
- Click on "Advanced Search".
- Select "Full View Only". (This ensures that the entire book appears.)
- Enter "children's stories", or similar phrase in the "Subject" line.
Other terms can be used to find free downloads of children's books. In some cases, you can find books by:
- Author
- Title
- Publisher
- Keywords (bunnies, magic, or other appropriate search terms)
Searching by publisher is a great way to narrow the list. Some publishers specialize in children's literature. Excellent choices include:
- Random House
- Scholastic
- Arden Press
A list of children's book publishers is available on Topic Sites.
Two types of free children's books are available through the Google advanced search engine. The publishers and the authors have released some of the titles to the public domain.
Many of the books were written a very long time ago, and they are no longer under copyright. These selections are automatically in the public domain. The Rosetta Project specializes in the antique book selections.
The Rosetta Project
The Rosetta Project is a fantastic place to find free books for kids. The volunteer-run project began in 1996, and it has grown into a massive online international library. The library consists of tens of thousands of pages from books collected by volunteers.
Visitors have the option of browsing through the comprehensive collection of antique children's books. Each is available for people who want to download free kids books. In addition, the site has a mailing list that sends updates to subscribers each time a new book is added to the collection.
Titles in the Rosetta Project include antique children's books that are no longer under copyright. Texts that are in the public domain are available as free downloads that can be conveniently printed or read on the computer. Titles offered by the project include:
- Pre-Reader
- Ring O'Roses is a book published in 1920 that features a collection of Mother Goose rhymes
- Jolly Animal ABC published in 1890
- The Rhyme Book from 1906
- Jack and the Beanstalk Kris Kringle Series, 1897
- Humpty Dumpty and Some Other Funny People' published in 1934
- Aunt Louisa's Wee Wee Stories' circa 1900
- Early Readers
- The Child's First Reader published in 1918
- Father Gander's Melodies' from 1894
- My First Book, published in 1927
- Intermediate Readers
- Beauty and the Beast and Other Stories' circa 1890
- Kate Greenway's Book of Games circa 1900
- Robin Hood unknown date of publication
- Advanced Readers
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol, 1901
- Blue Beard circa 1890
- The Children's Story of David Copperfield published in 1926
Also available on the site as free downloads are adult readers and books written in multiple languages.
Helping the Rosetta Project
The online library is growing continuously, and it can use the help of more volunteers. Services required include:
- Translations of books
- Scanned pages of books that are not under copyright
- Antique children's books
- Donations
- For purchase
- Tax-deductible cash donations
Ethical Use of Free Books
It is important to note that the free downloads from the websites are solely for personal use. No downloads should be used for profit, as established by the Electronic Theft Act of 1997.
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