Resources & Activities
Below you can find multiple recommendations for books to read to your child, free resources for you to access all online, as well as some activities for your child to do in support of their reading endeavors!
FREE Books
Who does not like free access to hard and digital copies of books? Below is a list of where and how you can access free books to expand your home library and start reading more!
Free Hard Copies of Books
Little Free Libraries: These libraries are small boxes located all over cities, especially in school communities where anyone can take and leave books. Here, you have 24/7 access to free books that may interest you and your child. To look for a little free library near you, visit Little Free Library and enter your zip code.
Book Banks: Search nearby book banks around your area. Book banks are just like food banks, they offer free books to those in their community. To find the closest book bank in your area, you can google "Book banks in my area."
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library: This free resource is available for parents/guardians with children from the ages of 0-5 years old. Families who have this resource around their area receive free books through the mail. To check for availability, visit Imagination Library.
Public Libraries: As mentioned before, your public library provides you with free access to a library card, which gives you access to borrow books from all over your city (more information below). If it is difficult to reach your local library, you can still get a library card online and borrow ebooks/audiobooks online.
Free Digital Copies of Books
Free Kids Books: This is a free website that parents and children can use to find books on various subjects, diversities, languages, and grade levels for free, no need to sign up! To search through the website, visit Free Kids Books.
Unite for Literacy: This website offers hundred of picturebooks with various nonfiction and fiction reading material. With each book, there is an option for audio narration, making it accessible for children who are blind or visually impaired. Visit Unite for Literacy to look for books that spark your child's interest.
International Children's Digital Library: Access numerous digital picturebooks in over 50 different languages. For multilingual homes, this is a great free resource to start doing family read-alouds in your home language as well as in the language(s) you and your child may be trying to learn. Visit the International Children's Digital Library to read a story in your home language.
Epic!: Epic! is a great source that is commonly used by teachers. This resource has over 40,000 books, audiobooks, and learning videos that children can enjoy. If you would like to use this resource for free, you can create a free account, but you will have a limited library - meaning that you would only have access to one book a day. To create your free account, visit Epic!
Amazon's Top 100 Free Children's eBooks: By downloading Amazon's Kindle app on either a phone, tablet, or computer, you automatically gain access to a variety of free picture books and chapter books to read at your convenience on your personal devices. To view which books are free with Amazon Kindle, visit Amazon's Top 100 Free Children's eBooks.
Our Favorite YouTube Read-Alouds!
Other Online Read-Alouds
Here are some additional YouTube channels and playlists with read alouds for you to enjoy! The names highlighted in BLUE are channels or playlists that feature diverse books and books in other languages.
Other Book Recommendations
These books can most likely be accessed at your local library (more information below)! The books highlighted in BLUE are diverse books you can add to your library.
"A Different Pond" by Bao Phi
"Carmela Full of Wishes" by Matt de la Peña
"Dreamers" by Yuyi Morales
"Hair Love" by Matthew A. Cherry
"Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez" by Kathleen Krull
"I Know Here" by Laurel Croza
"Last Stop on Mango Street" by Matt de la Peña
"Life in the Ocean: The Story of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle" by Claire A. Nivola
"Love" by Matt de la Peña
"Lubna and Pebble" by Wendy Meddour
"Mr. Tiger Goes Wild" by Peter Brown
"The Name Jar" by Yangsook Choi
"Walk With Me" by Jairo Buitrago
"We Are Protectors" by Carole Lindstrom
"When Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson" by Pam Munoz Ryan
"When We Were Alone" by David A. Robertson
Activities For Any Book
Reading Bingo
Try out this Reading Bingo Challenge that can be used for younger and older kids. This is a great way to make reading fun and get kids excited about reading! To print the resource, click HERE.
Reading Comprehension
Help your child improve their reading comprehension by practicing with these story map guides. After your child finishes reading a book, they can recall what they read by filling out the story map with either words or pictures. Access and print a free story map guide HERE.
Write a Short Story
Engage your child with some writing by having them be an author! This activity lets children create their own short stories by picking their favorite book and using their creativity to write what would happen next. To download and print the worksheet, click HERE.
Reading Passport
Reading passports are a fun way to encourage reading because it motivates children to read a diverse set of books and explore different places and characters. After each book they read, they can fill out the writing prompts in their passport, and then they can get a stamp (or a hand draw star)! To download and print the reading passport and get started, click HERE.
Bookmark
Enjoy this FREE bookmark about the Read With Me mission and a QR code that links to our website. Simply open the PDF, print it in color, cut it to size, and then use it with the next book you and your child read!
Visit Your Local Library
Depending on where you are located in Colorado, you can find a library near you to register for a free library card to gain access to renting books, e-books, and audiobooks! Also, check out your local library for free events such as the summer reading programs, guest read alouds, and more!
Here you can find a directory of all the public libraries across the state of Colorado. Or click on the images below to take you to the Aurora, Colorado Springs, and Greeley/Evans library district websites.
