Many of us who have set up reading programs are astounded at the number of books needed to keep students engaged and challenged. While a more highly developed reader may take a week or more to digest one book, early readers may go through several books in just one session. We want our students to enthusiastically devour a wide range of books, but the cost of an adequate library can seem daunting.
Fortunately, there are many sources for inexpensive (and sometimes free!) books. In addition to the materials mentioned below, bargains can be found at library sales, garage sales, and thrift shops. Sometimes you can find real treasures--so keep hunting!
Books that you can downloadThese online books are a program director’s dream! They can be downloaded, printed, and assembled quite easily. At these prices, we can afford to let our students take these books home and keep them.
When children are able to repeatedly reread their own books at home, their future reading ability is markedly improved.
Reading a-zI’m excited about these terrific books. Reading a-z has over 1,200 books (in English, Spanish, and French) with accompanying lessons and worksheets to download at an affordable price.
I’ve downloaded and printed them--they’re beautiful! I used heavy stock paper (110 lb.) for the color covers and normal copy paper for the contents, and they look great.
Covers are available in black-line master form or in color. Also available are more than 1,500 flashcards to help teach the alphabetic principle, phonemic awareness, and sound/symbol relationships. You can download 30 of their books for free.
"Ewe Books" and "Mini Books" from Learning PageLearning Page members can download these books for more advanced readers at no charge. Some of these books are also available in Spanish. (Membership in Learning Page is free.)
Reproducible BooksThese collections are an inexpensive and renewable source for easy books. Written and published for inexpensive reproduction, these black-line masters won’t drain your ink supply.
I must admit, however, that most of them are not exactly what I would call great children’s literature--so use them sparingly. Remember that we want our students to love to read!
Decodable Little Books by Christine E. McCormick
Little Books by Christine E. McCormick
Sight Word Stories by Gloria Lapin
More Sight-Word Stories by Gloria Lapin
Beginning Reading for Older Students: 30 Reproducible High-Interest/Emergent Skills
Stories for the Classroom
and the Home by Gloria Lapin.
Fun Phonics Mini-Books by Linda Ward Beech
26 Interactive Alphabet Mini-Books by Mary Beth Spann
Reading Success Mini-Books: Word Families
Reading Success Mini-Books: Long and Short Vowels
Reading Success Mini-Books: Initial Consonants
Reading Success Mini-Books: Sight Words
Also available in Spanish
Researchers at The Ohio State University have developed inexpensive collections of books that develop reading strategies. At 25 cents per book, they are intended to be kept by children who need to build a home library of books to call their own. They are distributed on a not-for-profit basis by The Ohio State University Literacy Collaborative.
Book Packages Scholastic Inc. offers high-quality books at reasonable prices. If you plan to buy a lot of books, Scholastic is a great place to start. The only drawback to packages like Scholastic’s is that their collections are so appealing, you’ll be tempted to exceed your budget!Here are just some of Scholastic’s special offers:
Big Reading Fun Starts With Barney!Clifford’s First Book Club for Kids!
Take a Wild Ride on the Magic School Bus Club!
The Scooby-Doo and You Mystery Club
The Powerpuff Girls:
Adventures that Pack a Powerful Punch
