Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Do I have to sign up for something?

Not at all. Our library does not require registration or passwords. Read any of our books and listen to the narrations as much as you like. It's easy, fun and free.

Why do our books matter?

Many children struggle to become readers, and many teachers struggle to help them. Research shows that long before kindergarten, families have a huge impact on their children's learning success. The keys to helping young children be ready to read include:

Lots of books in the home.

Studies show that children who come from homes with 100 books or more have 3 times the chance of completing 9th grade as those from bookless homes. Every book - borrowed books, e-books, comic books - matters. (M.D.R. Evans, et al., 2010)

Lots of time reading together.

Again, it is the children who are read to every day who become good readers by 4th grade. When children develop the habit of reading while they are young, it sticks with them throughout life. (National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2013)

Lots of good conversation.

The children who are read to and "bathed in language" every day when they are young know many more words and understand how books work, giving them a head start in school. (Hart and Risley, 1995)

Will reading these books help my child in school?

Absolutely! Our books help children learn to love reading while getting them ready to do well in school. Each book has audio for English and other languages so you can listen and read together. There are more activity ideas at the end of each book.

Don’t kids have access to enough books already?

Sadly, no. Although most communities have some great resources for access to free books, such as public libraries, 7 out of 10 children live in homes with an inadequate number of books (National Assessment of Educational Progress 2013). You can view the state of book scarcity where you live and work with our interactive Book Desert Map.

View the Book Desert Map

Can I create my own books?

We currently work with partners to develop content for our readers. We plan to allow individuals to create their own books in the future.

Isn't screen time an issue for young readers?

We know that building a healthy, safe and fun reading environment is key to helping kids learn to love reading. We believe you can do that with both paper and digital books. By creating digital books, we also can provide narration support to enhance comprehension.

Why do you ask for my location?

We do not collect any of your personal information, but we do ask you to tell us the county you live in so we can improve your access to free books. It also helps us create new books that are most interesting to children in your community. For more information on the non-identifiable information we do collect, please review the privacy section of our terms of use.

View our terms of use.