Top 16 Cheap Books For Children Updated 04 /2024

There are a lot of ways to get cheap books for kids when money is tight. Each child should have a lot of books to choose from every day, but it can be hard to find books that aren't too expensive. Kids need and want to read books, and money shouldn't be a reason not to.

You should start by going to your local library, but sometimes you need books that you can keep. Maybe your kids would like to read at home. Maybe you're a teacher who wants to buy new books for your classroom library. Here are some ways to get cheap kids' books.

Library Book Sales

In many public libraries, the Friends of the Library put on book sales all year long. Books that have been taken out of circulation and donated by library users are sold. In general, they have a lot of different types of books, including ones for kids, and they're usually very cheap, like $2 or less. It's a good idea to check with your local library to see if they're having a sale soon. You can also look up your library's name and "book sale" on Google.

Little Free Libraries

It's both cute and useful to have these free book stands in your neighborhood. Take any book, leave any book. See if there are any near you here!

Digital children’s books

If you can go digital, there are a lot of places where you can get free or cheap kids' books online. It's very important that you read this post for some great ideas on where to get and read free digital children's books. To look for books, there are many independent (and legal) sites, as well as digital options that your library has set up.

Ordering CHEAP kids’ books online

There are a lot of places on the internet where you can buy cheap books that will be shipped to you. There are a few here:

Books that make a better world

I put this one first because I like it the best. Better World Books has been around since 2003, and they have a lot of used and cheap books. They want to help people learn to read and keep books from ending up in the trash. Free shipping! You can search their catalog to find the books you want, and you can do it all for free. Quickly, I saw that they had a lot of cheap books for kids. You can even change your search based on your age. Check it out!

Alibris

This is another good way to buy cheap children's books online. Alibris has a lot of different things for a low price. To get free shipping on your order, though, you have to spend at least $39 on your order. In other words, the cost to ship each book adds up. Here, look around.

Biblio

Biblio has a good selection of older kids' books that are on sale and a lot of books that ship for free. In this case, if you want to get older, first edition classic children's books for cheap, this is the place. They specialize in rare and collectible books. Find them here.

Amazon

Mr. Bezos, on the other hand, has a section of discounted books. This isn't the cheapest option on this list, but there are a lot of options and it's cheaper than buying new things, so it's a good choice. Here's a direct link to the cheap kids' books category.

The First Book

If you work with low-income families or students with disabilities, you can buy books at a lower price from First Book. These are the kinds of people who can sign up for free and order books as many as they want. In addition, First Book does a great job of giving cheap technology and basic needs like winter jackets to people who need them. Those things aren't in the scope of this piece, but I thought it was too cool not to talk about! For educators who work with low-income kids, check them out here. Also, look at the bottom of this post for grant opportunities.

Used book stores

Certainly! The second-hand book store! These are full of cheap kids' books. Across the country, there are a lot of independent used book stores. Half Price Books is one of them. Look up used book stores in your area on Google.

Dollar store

A lot of kids' books aren't available at Dollar Tree or Family Dollar. But they have a lot of them, and at a price that's hard to beat. Make sure to look for a store near you, or you can order online right now!

Facebook and Craigslist

You can ask people in your neighborhood if they know where to get cheap or free kids' books. If anyone has kids' books they want to give or sell cheaply to you, ask them in a post on Facebook or Craigslist! The phrase "ISO," which means "In Search of," can be used when you write a post. This is an example: "Do you have any children's picture books? Is there anyone who would like to give them away? Please let me know! It's not a sure thing, but if it works out, it's cheap and you can keep it in your neighborhood.

Resale stores

Goodwill, Savers, Arc's Value Village, and other resale stores are great places to look for cheap kids' books. They usually have a lot of books to choose from, and they usually have a lot of them.

Grants for educators

For teachers who need more kids' books, there are a lot of places that can help, especially if you work with low-income or poor kids and families. The following groups give grants for free or cheap kids' books to people who qualify. All these grants have different rules, and there are a lot of other organizations out there. I'd start with these:

Children need to read.

Books that make a better world

Snazzy Books is a non-profit foundation that

The Dollar General Foundation for Literacy

The Home Library Foundation is a group of people who work together

It's easy to mix and match these ideas to get cheap children's books in your life. Please tell us about your favorite ways to do things.

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