In an attempt to expose my children to the classics and to -hopefully- develop in them a love of good literature, I try to read aloud classic children's literature. At one time, I thought that my only means of getting and reading these great books was to spend lots of money on a home library. Over the years, however, I came to realize that there are many great ways to read- and listen to- classic literature for free.
Although I still do like to add good books to our home library when I can, I often seek out these books online in the public domain. And I'm often rewarded with a free way to read the book or listen to the audio book online. In this post, I'm sharing ten children's classics that you can read for free from the public domain. These books can be read online on a computer or tablet with a web browser. Many can be downloaded to your ereader. And some are also available as audio books to listen to for free.
Alice's Adventures In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll- This book can be read online, printed as a PDF file or downloaded for a Kindle or for EPUB format. You can also listen to the audio version here.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum- This book can be read online or downloaded for a Kindle or in EPUB format. You can listen to the audio here.
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery- This book can be read online or downloaded for a Kindle or in EPUB format. The audio for this book can be found here.
The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett- This book can be read online or downloaded for a Kindle or in EPUB format. You can listen to the audio here.
Beautiful Stories From Shakespeare by E. Nesbit-This book can be read online or downloaded for a Kindle or in EPUB format. You can find the audio here.
Heidi by Johanna Spyri-This book can be read online or downloaded for a Kindle or in EPUB format. You can hear the audio here.
The Story of Dr. Dolittle by Hugh Lofting- This book can be read online or downloaded for a Kindle or in EPUB format. You can listen to the audio here.
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Bianco-This book can be read online or downloaded for a Kindle or in EPUB format. You can listen to this- and other short stories- here.
Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sidney- This book can be read online or downloaded for a Kindle or in EPUB format. You can listen to the audio here.
This Country of Ours by H.E. Marshall- This book can be read online or downloaded for a Kindle or in EPUB format.You can listen to this book- all seven volumes- here. (It's a great history read!)
Cost doesn't have to prohibit you from reading great books with your children. All of the free books are found in Project Gutenburg and Librivox where free books in the public domain are collected for print and audio.
Do you have a favorite place to find Children's Classics for free?
Leah Courtney is a homeschooling mom of four. Her days are filled with being a mom, homemaker, and teacher. In her (very rare) free time, she enjoys blogging, reading, and reviewing books and curricula. These days she’s learning the joys of being a mom of teens. You can read about her family and homeschooling life at As We Walk Along the Road.
Do you have a favorite place to find Children's Classics for free?
Leah Courtney is a homeschooling mom of four. Her days are filled with being a mom, homemaker, and teacher. In her (very rare) free time, she enjoys blogging, reading, and reviewing books and curricula. These days she’s learning the joys of being a mom of teens. You can read about her family and homeschooling life at As We Walk Along the Road.
