Digital Library

Listing of Free Books to Read Online

  • Why Read Aloud? 

    Reading aloud is one of the most important things caregivers and teachers can do with children. Research has repeatedly proved that one simple parenting technique is among the most effective. Children who are read aloud to by caregivers get a head start in language development and literacy skills and go to school better prepared. Reading aloud builds many important foundational skills, introduces vocabulary, provides a model of fluent, expressive reading, and helps children recognize what reading for pleasure is all about. 

    Although there is no substitute for reading in person to a child, there are still many benefits from using technology to show videos of people reading stories. In addition to many of the perks mentioned above, videos of books can offer a few novel benefits as well (pun intended).

    Video books:

    • Often include music or sound effects to help set the mood.
    • Often include animations, zooming, and panning to bring the book to life and help follow or focus in on the action.
    • Can provide a different take on the reading of the story with the narrator’s voices and inflections.
    • Can be watched independently by the child.
    • Can be sped up or slowed down, paused, and rewound as needed

    YouTube "Read Aloud" Book Videos for Kids

    I think you’ll agree with me when I say "YouTube is great for kids videos, but, there’s a lot of ‘less good’ stuff that can be a pain to avoid" - Well, Good News!

    We’ve done the hard part and put together a list of some good read out loud picture book channels that are on YouTube.

    So you don’t have to go digging, here is that list of suggested YouTube channels and playlists that provide videos of books being read aloud for children.

    Storyline Online - This channel features celebrities reading storybooks along with animations created from the book illustrations. YouTube link

    KidLit TV - This is a playlist with dozens of children’s book being read by the authors, provided by KidLit TV. YouTube link

    PBS KIDS Read-Alongs -Along with story-time of a beloved book, each PBS KIDS Read-Along is designed to encourage engagement among families who tune in, with activity ideas and questions that spark conversation. YouTube Link

    Kid Time Story Time - The narrator for these books uses puppets and lots of great voices when reading, and adds many comments and questions during the story to dig deeper. Sometimes the book is in English AND Spanish.  Playlist here | YouTube link

    Latinx Characters - Checkout this collection of Hispanic Heritage month and bilingual books. YouTube Link

    Sankofa Read Aloud - Online African American Children Stories  YouTube link

    Puffin Books - Although the Puffin channel includes a wide range of book-related videos, they also have quite a few stories being read by authors or celebrities. YouTube link

    Story Time for Children - Story Time for children comes from a collaboration of Toddler Fun Learning and Ladybird books, and offers a wide collection of children’s books with creative sound effects, zooming, and panning. YouTube link

    Grandpa Tom - Grandpa Tom makes great use of panning and zooming to follow the action on each page, as well as engaging voices for the characters. YouTube link

    Books in song by Vancemo - For a fun twist, this playlist contains children’s books that are sung rather than being read. For each book the text of the book is sung as a song to an original tune. YouTube link

    Story Time w/Kayla - Looking specifically for books written and/or illustrated by African American creators? Well checkout Kayla’s Channel for Children's Stories, Activities, and Fun! YouTube Link

    Beyond these example, there are SO many more channels and playlists on YouTube with books being read aloud. Below is a list of those I came across, although a simple search for any book title will likely find others for you.

     

    CREDIT to St. Lucie Reads https:/cscslc.org