There’s something you might not know about me. I love books! I think that is putting it lightly. I’m a book hoarder. Every book I’ve ever received or bought since I was a child, is still in my possession. To top that off, I still feed the addiction when possible.
I’m not one of those people that will sell or give away a book after it’s finished. Those books have characters in them that I’ve become attached to and there is no way I could bear to give them away. I know, I sound a little weird, but if you are a huge book nerd, you understand what I’m saying. Do you know what it’s like to finish a book and feel like a chapter is over in your life? No, just me? Okay moving on…
So, to say the least, I hold onto my books forever. Don’t ever lend me a book because you might not get it back. Ha! If I have returned a borrowed book to you, consider yourself lucky. 😉 At this point, I have successfully passed on my love of books and reading to Logan. My goal is to turn him into a book nerd too. 🙂 So I will continue growing his book collection.
The thing is, I can’t bear to pay full price for a book. Especially since there are so many great ways to get books for free or for a small price. So, in an effort to fill our house with books, because one day I want a library in my house. (Think Beauty and The Beast! If you don’t know what part I’m talking about, watch the movie. 😉 ) I am always buying books for Logan, and I wanted to share with you the eight different ways to get free or inexpensive books for your little one.
Ollies
I’m not sure if these stores are nationwide, but we have one close to us, and it has become a dangerous place for me. Every time I go in, I come out with at least a book or two or ten! I know, it’s a sickness, what I can say. 🙂 Ollies is a close-out store. They buy items from stores going out of business and sell it for a good price. All of the children’s books I’ve bought from there have been $5 or less. They run about $2.99 to $3.99. You can’t beat that price for a brand new book.
The selection isn’t always the most popular or best-selling books. Our Ollies has a HUGE selection of books, though, and I have found some fun books. So, check here to see if you have a local one, and visit them. You can thank me later! 😉
Kohl’s
Next up is probably not exactly a store you think of when you think about books. However, I noticed in at least the past six months that they had started something new that I’m loving. In front of their cash registers, they have shelves with children’s books and stuffed animals to match. I usually notice them as soon as I walk through the door. This past fall they had books like Paddington Bear, Curious George, and a few others. More recently they have some fun Dr. Seuss books, one of which is Logan’s favorite, “Sneetches on Beaches, and Other Stories.”
The things I love about the books that Kohl’s sells is that they are only $5! Plus, Kohl’s donates 100% of the profit from the books to kids health initiatives all over the United States. It’s called Kohl’s Cares. How awesome is that? You can get a brand new great book for your child and the satisfaction of knowing that all of the profit is going to help someone.
Dollar Tree
Did you know they sell children’s books at Dollar Tree!?! I didn’t know this until recently. I have found some fun little books there. A few that Logan love at the moment is some National Geographic Kids Books about cars, trains, trucks, and airplanes. They are easy readers, so if you have a little one starting to learn to read, they are perfect for that. Just the other day I picked up some Daniel the Tiger easy readers from there too. At $1 a piece, you can’t beat that.
Garage Sales
Since we moved to Ohio, this has become on of my favorite ways to buy books. The garage sales around here are excellent! You can read a little more about it here. Back in the Fall of 2015, I hit the motherload of books. One house I went to was a lady who was retiring from teaching. She was selling all of her classroom books. I found so many great books and ones that had recently become Logan’s favorites. They were a little worn and well-loved, but sometimes those are the best books. In the end, even if they only last a few years it was worth it because I paid 25 cents a piece for them and that was a good deal! So check out your local garage sales this spring.
Goodwill
It’s funny because I’ve not done a whole lot of shopping in Goodwill but my mom stops in occasionally. She usually winds up finding something great. So I will stop with her once in a while. Some Goodwills have a decent book selection. I have to stop and wonder who these people are that give their books away because I can’t seem to part with any of mine. (I promise you all I’m not a hoarder of anything but books.) Anyway, I’ve had some good luck finding books at Goodwill for Logan and myself. So check them out. They are usually under $1 per book.
Library Book Sales
Did you ever wonder what the Library does with books that are less familiar or start wearing out? Guess what!?! They sell them and usually for a low price. A few years ago, when Logan was around a year old, I hit up one of these sales. I stood in line outside the building for half an hour with a squirmy one-year-old. When I finally got inside it was overwhelming because there were SO MANY BOOKS! It’s great but a little chaotic.
I’m sad to say I didn’t get much because you know I had a one-year-old in tow. Need I say more? However, if I can find another library sale, you can be sure I will hit it up and go without my child. If I remember right, they had this thing where you could fill a bag for $5. Do you know how many books can fit in a bag? A LOT! So check out your local libraries and find out if they have book sales.
The Library
I know that this is an obvious one, but I thought I’d throw it in there anyway. Going to the library is Logan’s favorite thing to do. It might have more to do with the toys they have for him to play with but he still loves bringing the books home. He makes me read all of them the minute we get in the door.
One thing I’ve noticed about our library is they are starting to offer various digital options for books. While I love holding and smelling books, (yes smell, I’m a book nerd, and that’s what we do) I do appreciate the convenience of digital e-readers. Our local library offers a service called Overdrive. It has digital books for all age groups as well as magazines and audiobooks. All for FREE! While Logan isn’t always interested in digital books, there are times when it’s great. Like when we are traveling.
I know that there are a few different options from our library for digital books. So, check out your local library and find out what they have to offer. You might be surprised. Also, one more little thing about digital books that I love, I’m never late returning them. Score! 🙂
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
I saved the best for last. The Imagination Library is a program I learned about last year and wish I had known about it sooner. Dolly Parton set up this book program for children ages birth to five years old. If this program is available in your area, make sure and sign-up. Now here’s the best part. They will mail your child a brand new book every month. Logan gets so excited that there is something that comes to him in the mail.
They send all kinds of books, and some have become his favorites. These books are your child’s to keep forever. It’s a great program. I know for our area, we had to apply through the local library. However, you can check out the website here, to see if this program is available to you.
So there you have it! Eight different places and ways you can find free or inexpensive books for your little one or even yourself. Teaching the love of books and reading to your child doesn’t have to be expensive or difficult. I just encourage you to do it. By instilling the love of reading in your child, you open up a whole new world of imagination.
Do you have places you get your kids’ books? Are you a book hoarder too? I’d love to hear about it!
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Laura Ramnath
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I’m a book hoarder too. And so is my husband. And my kids by default. Seriously, every surface is like covered in books, it’s like a Dali painting with all the books melting off the furniture. Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but only slightly…One thing you may not know about Goodwill if you don’t go there a lot (there’s one right around the corner from me so we go almost every week) is that they do these awesome sales where everything with a certain colored tag has an extra discount, and that discount goes up everyday until Monday when it’s $1.79. Yesterday, for President’s Day, Green tags were .99! I don’t know if the specifics change based on location, but I know they are all at least similar. So if you go on 50% off day (Sunday) or $1.79 day (when everything with the tag that is less than that is also 50%) you can get books for .50. Which I do, all the time. It’s amazing.
Also, I don’t know if they have these in your area, or if the police have decided to crack down on them in your area (https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2015/02/little-free-library-crackdown/385531/) but here in Seattle we have police-free (lol) Little Free Libraries, which are basically these little bird-house type structures that people or businesses put up outside their yards and anyone can put a book into them. Sometimes people will designate them “kids only” if it’s in an area where there are lots of kids. We have gotten several books this way for the whole family, and during the occasional moment when we have felt overwhelmed by the number of books we own, these have been a great way to unload some or trade them in for new reads! You should keep an eye out and see if there are any Little Free Libraries hidden around your area! Or start one yourself if you have the space and inclination!
Thanks for the great tips Elizabeth! I don’t go to Goodwill all that often so I didn’t know about the 50% off. That’s awesome. Also, I have heard about the Little Free Libraries but I haven’t seen any in my area. They are a great idea for sure. Thanks for sharing!
All of these are awesome ideas for getting books for your little one! We have local mom groups and I’ve been able to get books for my little girl for 1-2 dollars each in great condition. I love building her library… maybe a little too much 🙂
That’s awesome that you have mom groups to get great books from! I think it’s so much fun building a book library too! There can never be too many books in my opinion. 😉
We utilize a few of these places too! Thanks for reminding me about Dolly Parton though I keep forgetting to check on that! The program isn’t in our area it seems but I signed up for an email reminder in case they come my way 🙂
I hope that the program comes to you soon! It’s the best getting a book in the mail every month.
Childrens books are the best!!! We can’t ever have enough kid books in my eyes! These are all great options to find cheap books. I also like looking at Half Price books and Home Goods! And lots of garage sales too!
Merichelle | http://werethejoneses.com
I haven’t ever looked at Homegoods for books! I’ll have to check that out the next time I’m close to one. Thanks for the tip Merichelle!
These are great ideas! I love a great book deal. I actually got the Scrambled United States book at Kohl’s this year too!
Thank you Vicki! Isn’t that the cutest book? My son loves it and it caused him to become really interested in all the different States.
These are wonderful suggestions. Some I’m familiar with, others I need to check out. Love of books is just part of my family’s thing. My daughter, mom, grandmother, aunts…we all love books.
Thank you Amanda! The love of books was passed down in my family the say way. My grandmother always had books and was reading as well as my mom. I love the idea of passing along the love of books and reading 🙂
These are such great ideas! I wish I could sigh up for Dolly Parton’s, but it’s never available by me. 🙁
You’re the second person that’s mentioned that program isn’t in your area. That stinks. It really is a great program. I hope maybe you found some other ways to get some cheap books. Thanks Danielle!
I love getting books for our little girl. She loves reading and listening to stories. We get most of our books from garage sale or thrift store. It definitely save money.
That’s awesome that your little one has a growing love for books. Garage sales are my favorite for sure! Thanks Anna!
If you are an Amazon Prime member, you get to select one free Amazon Kindle ebook each month from the editor’s picks. They send you an email and you pick one to download. I usually download a book every month just to have it for the future. I am not sure if this applies to kids, I will have to take a look…
I am an amazon prime member! I’ll have to check that out. The last time I checked on it about two years ago, I could only get the free book if I had a kindle, which sadly, I do not. Thanks for the tip though!
Love this!! I wish the Dolly Parton program was in my area!! The scrambled states book looks awesome! I’ll have to check out the library soon!
Thanks! That’s a shame the Dolly Parton program isn’t over your way. The scrambled states book is such a cute one. It’s one of Logan’s favorites.
Great ideas! We definitely buy books at our library sale room and Dollar Tree. Some of the others are new to me.
Thank you Elizabeth! I haven’t hit up a library sale in a while but I need to. They really are great!
I love getting the books and matching stuffed animals Fromm kohls for birthday gifts!
That’s a great idea for a gift Bonnie! Thanks for sharing that.