How to Find Free Online Books for Kids during the Coronavirus Pandemic

by Kimberly Solis

Disclaimer: This blog post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission to fund my book-buying habit if you use these links to make a purchase. You will not be charged extra, and you’ll keep me supplied with books. It’s a win for everyone, really.

If you’re reading this post in the year 2020, you know that the Coronavirus pandemic has closed schools throughout the world. Many of us are trapped in our homes or practicing “social distancing” to avoid the spread of the virus. Meanwhile, if you have kids, there’s a good chance that you’re trapped with them. And they are probably driving you crazy right now. At least, mine are driving me crazy. (But I say this with love. I adore my children…even when they make me question my parenting skills.)

Anyway, I digress. The point is that kids need to keep their brains working even though school isn’t in session.

My previous post talked about free online learning activities for the kiddos in your life. Today’s post will discuss where you can find free online books for kids. This is important because the public library is probably closed in your town because, again, we are trying to practice “social distancing” during these uncertain times.

If your goal is to save money, keep your sanity and keep your kids’ brains working, you will want to encourage them to do some recreational reading. Now some kids would rather plop themselves down in front of the TV to watch some brain-numbing television show or play video games until their fingers fall off. Still others prefer to play their video games on the computer.And if you have a kid with a cell phone…well…they are probably texting, watching youtube videos, playing an app or doing a million other things online.

But here’s something that may help you pry your children away from those screens. Let them use the screen to read ebooks. The good news is that you can find some great free online books for kids that will hook even the most reluctant reader. And as an elementary school librarian, I love to find online books I can share with my students and my own kids at home.

So here we go! Here’s my list of free online books for kids you can share with your children during a Coronavirus quarantine.

Epic Books!

This website lives up to its name. It’s truly epic! Epic Books features a dizzying array of online books for kids (over 40,000) from well known authors and publishers. Graphic novels, picture books, nonfiction and chapter books are all there for your reading pleasure.

Epic is always free for schools, but families usually have to pay for a subscription. Fortunately, Epic Books has allowed families to have free access to the site because of what’s going on with the Coronavirus. They want kids to enjoy amazing books for free. For more information, visit Epic!

You can either get a 30-day free family account or ask your child’s teacher to set up an account so that they can invite you to join their classroom.

Vooks

Vooks is a website that brings storybooks to life. They do this through ad-free streaming. It’s basically a virtual story time. And if you can’t go to a public library’s story time in person, this just might be the next best thing. The text scrolls across the screen as your child watches the animated storybook. Okay. Here’s the downside. At the time of this writing, Vooks only offers a 30-day free subscription for parents to try out their service. After that, you have to sign up for a plan.

The cheapest plan isn’t that bad. It’s $4.99 a month. Or you can pay a year upfront for $49.99. Another possible downside. You have to provide your credit card info to get started. Then you have to remember to cancel the subscription before your card is charged if you don’t wish to continue the service.

But, like I said, the monthly charge is $4.99, and you have access to some amazing books you can also find in bookstores and your local library.

Oxford Owl Offers Free Online Books for Kids to Read

Oxford Owl is a British organization that offers free online books for kids to read. Sign up and kids from ages three to 11 will have access to a small selection of books organized by age and reading level. Choose from fiction, picture books, nonfiction, graphic novels and more. Click here to learn more.

Online Books for Kids at Reading IQ

Age of Learning, the company that brought us ABC Mouse, offers families affected by Coronavirus school closures free access to over 7,000 ebooks through their site. The company is also offering free access to ABC Mouse and its sister site Adventure Academy. The Age of Learning site asks parents to contact their school district or school to help them get access to all three programs. Click here for more information.

Public Library (Overdrive, Libby, and Hoopla)

If you have a public library card, don’t forget that they offer free online books too. Most use Overdrive and its app called Libby. Overdrive is a free service through libraries that lets you borrow ebooks and audiobooks. Overdrive is best for those who want to borrow ebooks and audiobooks on several devices, including your computer. Libby is best for those who want to download reading materials on an Android or iOS device.

Hoopla is the same concept as Overdrive and Libby. With Overdrive and Libby, there may be a wait time before you can check out an ebook or audio book. Hoopla doesn’t have a wait time. Your public library doesn’t control what books are on Hoopla. It’s a subscription service the library uses. Content changes all the time, like Netflix or Hulu. In contrast, your public library selects the books you see on Overdrive and Libby.

For more information, go to your public library’s website. It’s usually open 24/7–whether it’s the Coronavirus or the Zombie Apocalypse. Well…maybe not for the Zombie Apocalypse. Let’s hope we never find out! The Coronavirus is scary enough as it is!

Book Bub Has Online Books for Kids that are Free or Discounted

Sign up for the free service Book Bub, and it will email you deals on ebooks. You can find cheap or free ebooks in all genres. Here’s the link to some free or discounted online books for kids that like picture books. And here’s a link to free or discounted ebooks for middle grade readers. Finally, here’s some free or discounted online books for teens. Some of the ebooks are traditionally published and some are self-published. Yes, they may not all be free, but sometimes you come across some really good ones that won’t even cost you a dime.

Unite for Literacy: A Nonprofit that Offers Free Online Books for Kids

Unite for Literacy is a nonprofit organization that offers a free library of ebooks for your kids. Geared toward kids three though eight years old, it features books about nature, community helpers, families, health and more. It’s frequently updated with new titles. No login is required but it asks you for your zipcode. They ask for your zipcode to help with their research. The books are written in English and Spanish. They are narrated in other languages as well, including American Sign Language!

Exquisite Corpse Adventure through Library of Congress

Okay, it sounds pretty morbid, but I promise you, this is not some B-rated slasher movie. The Exquisite Corpse Adventure, sponsored by the Library of Congress, is actually a serialized children’s book written by some of America’s most celebrated children’s book authors. We’re talking about Kate DiCamillo, Katherine Paterson, John Scieszka, Susan Cooper, Shannon Hale and more. These are all legends in the children’s book world, and they’ve put their collective brains and computers together to create a 27-episode ebook. It’s even illustrated by some stellar children’s book illustrators–some of the best artists illustrating books today. Your kid can read the book or listen to it.

While your on the Library of Congress website, check out some of the classic children’s books online that are curated for you and your kids’ reading pleasure.

Audible is Offering Online Books for Kids Free

Audible is associated with Amazon. It recently announced free audio books for kids as long as school closures continue during the Coronavirus pandemic. Called Audible Stories, it allows kids to stream a variety of audio stories on any device. It includes books in six languages too. Another plus? You don’t even need to create a login. Just click and start listening!

Junior Library Guild Has Online Books for Kids that are Currently Free

If you’re a children’s librarian or school librarian, you know about Junior Library Guild. It’s a collection development and review service company that helps school and public libraries build collections of high quality children’s, middle grade and young adult books.

It’s basically a subscription service. You choose the kinds of books you want them to send to you. A box of books arrives throughout the year. And I must say, that as a librarian, there’s nothing I enjoy more than getting a box of children’s books delivered to my school throughout the year!!

Anyway, in light of the recent school closures, Junior Library Guild is offering free ebooks to kids. You don’t have to log in or have a password. Simply click the school level you want to read, and you are automatically granted entrance to JLG’s ebooks.

Personally, I can’t think of a better way to spend time when you’re trapped inside the house for goodness knows how long! Click this link to get started.

Don’t Stop the Learning

Let’s face it. Your kids are going to want their screen time. They’ll want to play video games, binge-watch Netflix, text their friends, check out the latest dances on TikTok (Oh, will I ever master the Renegade????) and watch cute cat videos on Youtube. But screen time can be educational too. Try some of these free online books for your kids. They may just capture the imagination of your most reluctant reader! And they’ll help your kids avoid boredom too!

Good health to you! Stay safe and well wherever you are.

P.S. Do you know of any other websites offering free online books for kids? Feel free to tell me about them in the comments. Thanks!