Free Kids' Books.
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A free children's book library I'm hoping to grow
Giving away free kids' books? But I'm a professional writer! I'm not supposed to do anything for free.
Be that as it may...
I got into this website thing when I started writing children's books for my own daughter. I had an ulterior motive. I was trying to help her with a couple of problem behaviors.
It worked... and it turned out that as kids' books they were good enough to stand on their own.
They lack pictures, because that means your child can have the experience of illustrating them. (It's an activity!) And while they may not be quite free, they sure are cheaper than books you buy in the store.
Check 'em out, then print 'em out!
And remember: they may improve a problem behavior.
On this page I'm trying to create a free kids' book library of books from visitors to this very website.
Most of these people are not professional children's book authors. (But a lot of them are sure working on it!)
Jeff Harris's stories are intended to help children realize that good choices can be difficult to make, but once made, they’ll be proud of their decisions.
In Ginger's Journey, Ginger is a puppy on the way to her grandmother's farm who comes across other creatures in need of help. By putting their needs above her own desire to get where she's going, she earns some lifelong friends.
Jeff is working on two other stories!
Heather Cross is a pediatric nurse educator who teaches newborn classes and plays mom to 3 year old Sara, whose relationship with her blanket comprised the inspiration for What Does a Diggle Do?, one of the shortest little stories on our site (and a rhyming one to boot).
Heather aims to write professionally some day. Her sweet story speaks to the symbiotic relationship between child and blanket that she seeks to encourage. She knows that security objects are a natural and enjoyable part of development.
Dean Fink is a father of two and a third grade teacher with eight years experience. He'll tell you first hand that being 8 or nine years old is a valuable time with some hard lessons.
The First Day of School is the first story in Dean's series entitled, "Homer's Third Grade Adventures." Homer is a mouse, but a mouse who goes to school! He learns the importance of certain character traits through interaction with peers and grown-ups alike.
Carol Dose lives in Minnesota. She grew up with a father who ate grasshopper legs. I've heard about eating your greens, but I don't think that's what they meant!
In Grandpa Ate Grasshopper Legs! Carol imagines her 6 year old niece (who LOVES grasshoppers) having had the chance to see Grandpa make a meal of them. "Fried up, with lots of butter!"
Bring a toothpick for this one!
Bernard Katz is a husband, father of a two-year old little boy, and an Industrial Engineer. He lives, works and plays in the beautiful city of Cape Town in South Africa.
Bernard's Will the Wing is the fastest rugby player in the World. This makes him a very good competitor who scores lots of tries. However Will the Wing has one very bad habit, which almost costs his team an important match.
Julie Mitchell lives in Central Michigan with her husband, two daughters, and Sheltie. She can be found playing dress-up with her girls or cleaning play-dough out of the carpet.
In Beanie Finds Her Bop, Beanie loves going to school but is struggling to find the confidence to participate in a popular game with her friends. She works to overcome her fear and is surprised to find the assurance she needs in a cup of dropped pudding.
(If you have a child with a behavior problem - and who doesn't??? - you'll want to check out my children's behavior books page for downloadable stories that can help!)
Jennifer Bryant lives in California with her two incredibly imaginative young boys.
Not many people can weave a princess, a garden, a dragon and a plate of cookies into the same kids' story but Jennifer can. Princess Fanny is an upbeat young girl who gives naturally. In this story, her giving is rewarded with some yummy getting.
Her story is called Princess Fanny and the Mysterious Smell. Now, a question for Jennifer: Does a dragon need an oven to bake cookies?
Melissa Smart comes to us from Saskatchewan, Canada. She has written many kids' stories, has published in local newspapers and Canadian Living Magazine.
Five year old Wyatt is scared Santa is going to miss his house! He's been good all year, but the Christmas lights outside have stopped blinking. Wyatt knows blinking lights guide airline pilots onto the runway. Surely Santa must rely on them in the same way.
Wyatt resolves to make the The Christmas Lights blink!
I'm particularly proud to host Patty Juliano on my site. She performed a bit of magic on this picky author: her kids book is so absorbing and the story so well told that I didn't give a hoot about all the typos!
Roscoe is a richly textured story with real heart. A raccoon, Roscoe encounters undeserved hostility when he comes to a new town. In the end, he overcomes the townspeople's meanness with goodness and heroism.
Roscoe is a longer and more complex story than most of our other selections, but well worth your time!
Tammy Wilson is a mother of four from the heart of the U.S. - Oklahoma. And boy, has she imagined a scary scenario! The town in her story has canceled Halloween!
The children are horrified, but Tammy's story is presented from the point of view of Jack, The Pumpkin Seller.
Jack is a "pumpkinhead," and he knows his crop is meant for more important things than just bread and pies. Do you think he'll find greener pastures in Spook Ville?
I like Garth Lawless. He lives in Katikati, in the Bay of Plenty, in New Zealand, and he writes of dragons, butterflies and rainbows. One thing I like about him is that he knows his grammar and spelling! Another thing I like about him is that he says this about his writing career:
"[I'm] just beginning the journey of letting all my stories for children I have in my head [be] told to the people who they are written for."
This story is called Dragon and Butterfly: What Dragon Learned about Rainbows. It's a story about Nature and Magic.
Betsy Humphries has four grown children and has done a lot of babysitting! When she reads to children she pays special attention to what they enjoy. Her philosophy: keep it simple so they can understand, and make it exciting so that stay interested.
Good advice!
Betsy's free kids' book, Jake and the Big Red Balloon is the story of a boy who encounters a balloon with just a little too much helium. Jake, of course, gets the ride of his little life!
And guess what? Betsy has now written another story. The Stray Cat That Ran Away is about who gets lost, gets found, and finds love with a little boy.
Prepare for a real treat. Author Julie Buscher has chosen to share with us an electronic version of her fully illustrated, fully published chapter book, Homer the Helicopter. A full 69 pages long, Homer can be read by your older kids or read to your young ones.
You'll need Adobe to view it, and you'll probably have to adjust the settings to make it the right size on your screen. But it'll be well worth it! And then, when you decide that your children can't live without the real, page-turning version of Homer, Julie hopes you'll visit Homer's site to make a purchase!
Let's hear it for Danielle Bruckert! She's a pilot in Windhoekl, Namibia (Africa!) who writes training manuals for airplanes. (In fact, she writes about that on my self publishing site.) For fun she writes kids' books.
The Stair Case is one book in her series about Big Mac and Little Dipper. Big Mac is an older dog, and Little Dipper is a puppy. Big Mac doesn't always have the greatest time of it; he's tired and sometimes experiences self doubt. (He sounds like a parent!) Little Dipper is defined almost entirely by his energy. He's good for Big Mac!
Jeff Sojka lives in Iowa with his wife and son. He has a degree in Studio Art from the University of Iowa. (The illustration is his own!) Jeff is a musician as well as an artist, and a licensed pilot to boot. He works as a construction superintendent and has spent significant time abroad.
Fireman Fred and the Zoo Rescue is a rhyming story about a hapless fireman. Fred "rescues" all the animals in the zoo (it turns out there's no fire, so they didn't need rescuing!) only to find out that the burning building in town is the firehouse - Fireman Fred left the stove on!
Anthony Nicosia lives in California and works as a staff writer for the online magazine Affordable Audio. With a degree in Psychology, he weaves a children's story with an untraditional point of view.
We've all heard of the "bluebird of happiness" but we've never heard him speak. In The Adventures of Blue, The Helpful Bluebird, we actually hear from the Bluebird. Imagine a story about Santa...being told by Santa!
"Blue" helps children and adults alike.
And if you like Anthony's work, consider his free kids' book from a dream caterpillar's viewpoint. It's called, The Dreams of Timothy.
Judy Goodridge is blessed to be a mother, grandmother, kindergarten teacher and nurse. She writes from Tennessee, and she craves feedback (which every writer should!). She presents a free kids' book about God's love and His plans for our lives.
Daisy is the story of a little girl who hates her name...until her relationship with her Lord makes her realize that it was a name picked just for her. This is one of our longer stories, so don't read it to a child who is already up late!
What a privilege this is! Janet Carr is not only sharing her story, Gillie, with us, she's sharing her original artwork as well.
Gillie is a grouper with a taste for adventure, and Janet's dreams for him are adventurous as well. She envisions any number of kids' books featuring Gillie. Janet actually wrote and illustrated this delightful book 12 years ago, so I'd say Gillie is finally getting a much-deserved viewing!
Janet hails from Texas, USA and has had publisher interest in her illustrations. It's not hard to see why.
Tammie Smith writes about love. From Georgia, USA, she brings us a tale of love and sharing as seen through the eyes of a child. This is a story of goodness, growth, change and maturity.
The little girl in Victoria's Playhouse learns to share with little beings even more helpless than herself. She helps them cope with change, and she watches out for their emotional and physical needs.
In this free kids' book, Victoria resides in her parents' house, but she makes her own playhouse a residence for others.
And now Tammie brings us another story, this time about four girls, their mom and a dog named Red.
They say animals have a sixth sense that humans don't. Red senses what makes the family's mountain home mysterious, even before the family does!
Heather Burke is a single mom who likes to write in her spare time. Her story, Lilac's Big Adventure, is a longer story than most of our stories, but perfect for kids who like fantasy and fairies.
Lilac is a fairy princess who doesn't quite live up to her fairy princess duties. That is, until her kingdom, The Land of the Fairies, is threatened. Then she really comes through!
Tracey Allen doesn't tell us much about herself, but after reading this free kids' book I'm guessing she has sons by the name of Jalen and DJ.
Tracey wrote Jalen's Big Surprise, a lovely rhyming story about a little boy who finds out that birthdays aren't like Christmases: the gifts aren't necessarily waiting for you right when you wake up! Fortunately, everything works out in the end.
Alvin Clark, a veteran of the United States Air Force, brings us Brittany's Big Baby Spike, a free kids' book about a little girl and her dog. 
He wrote "Brittany's Big Baby" to help his own daughter understand why their dog could no longer live with them.
Kudos to Alvin and every other parent who writes for their child! (Want to give a similar gift to your child? Here's a page on this site that'll help you brainstorm a story idea and walk you through the writing process!)
The Adventures of Marty and Mack (Book 1) is an exciting story that comes to us from the mind of Seattle Seahawks fan Rodney Burns.
This story, the first in an intended series, chronicles the adventures of two young mice who run into a bit of trouble with the family feline. And it does so in rhyming couplets, which makes it a great read-to for the young ones.
My Daddy Cape: A Soldier Shares His Uniform is a story from the point of view of a young boy whose soldier father is about to ship out overseas.
This touching story comes to us from Hillary Douglas, a real military mom.
(If you like the first book, check out the 2nd of the two free kids' books in Hillary's My Daddy Cape series.)
When you read the stories, I trust you and your children will join me in appreciation of Hillary's husband for his service, Hillary for her own sacrifice, and please send good thoughts their way.
The first chapter of Kevin Richardson's Circle of Darkness is a first for this site. All of our previous submissions have been picture books.
This thriller is the opening of a 500 page chapter book! Have your child read it then cross your fingers it gets published!
Kevin has honest-to-goodness experience in children's storytelling. He's been the animation director for a number of kids' tv shows. He's also worked on at least one movie and has produced over 20 interactive video games for kids.
When you read Circle of Darkness I think you'll see the professionalism shine through.
Erik Humphries conceives Mentasia - The Way of Imagination, as just one part of an all-encompassing "story universe" called Mentasia. 
This free kids' book conveys the "ultimate power that is imagination," as well as imagination's effect upon an ever-changing world.
In Mentasia, a little boy can effect the course of the sun through the sky! (And here's the second of the two free kids' books in Erik's series.)
My Pet Ladybug is based on the true tale of a little girl who kept a pet ladybug and fed it people food! Kandy Schlosser brings you this sweet story.
Before you read it, ask your child what he/she thinks will happen!
Visitor Julie Owsik shares with us a delightful rhyming story answering the eternal question, "Where Did The Other Sock Go?"
I love stories that put children in the shoes of adults; I think they help in the task of teaching empathy. This story does just that. As the first line says, "Grown ups do laundry every day..."
Another of our free kids' books that teaches empathy is this one by visitor Francesca Walker.
Here we see the new kitten from the old cat's point of view. It's called, The Long Tails of Maui and Kasi.
And what a great story it is for a child expecting a new brother or sister!
This free kids' book by Claire Robinson may have the ring of truth. If so, it's likely because Claire grew up in a family of 12 kids. It's called Jane and the New Chicks.
The little girl in it just happens to have nine sisters and two brothers!
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I can't tell you much about Tricia Blake. She comes from Jamaica in the West Indies. She is a 29 year old children's book author.
Her story, My Dog Smiles, is aimed at the little ones. It's about an unnamed little boy and a dog called Lucky. Think of it as a love story about a boy and his dog.
The Fabulous Sock comes to you courtesy of Jonnie Simone. It is not only a great read but beautifully illustrated.
(Jonnie has his own website, Charlie's Child Book Club. If you like his book, do please check him out and contact him to let him know!)
If you have free kids' books you've written which you'd like to make available for online reading (and feedback), please let me know by using the form below.
(And if you have a friend who might be interested, please refer them to this page.)
Once you submit the form, you'll receive an email. Either reply with your book, or use the email to ask me further questions.
There is no compensation for posting your book, other than the exposure you receive and the feedback you might get. Every book page has a form through which readers can give feedback which I will automatically forward to you.
Thanks!
Free Children's Books Center at Best Children's Books
Best Children's Books - Find, Read or Write
