19 Authors Sharing Free Children’s Books For World Read Aloud Day 2023

/ January 11, 2023

19 Authors Sharing Free Children’s Books For World Read Aloud Day 2023. Note these books will be made free on Kindle as e-books for two days: January 31st & February 1, 2023, free only on Amazon!

For 13 years, World Read Aloud Day has called attention to the importance of sharing stories by challenging participants to grab a book, find an audience, and read-aloud!

To grab all 18 books free, here is the ONE CLICK Amazon cart link: updated link:

• “The Thing I Do” by Author Lisa Caprelli of the Unicorn Jazz Book Series, Illustrated by Davey Villalobos

“Well, ladies and gents, children’s author, Lisa Caprelli, has done it again! Her recently released children’s book, UNICORN JAZZ The Thing I Do, is another excellent addition to her collection of amazing unicorn children’s book series, Unicorn Jazz. And let me tell you, this book did not disappoint. UNICORN JAZZ The Thing I Do is a children’s book full of adorable rhyming silliness, funny animal puns, and absolutely amazing hand-drawn illustrations. Unlike the first three books in the series, this book focuses on a new and unique character, Trezekke the Zebracorn! In this picture book, readers join Trezekke and his magical friends as he courageously shares about the thing that he likes to do best. Sharing clues and hints in a fun and engaging way, readers can follow along and try and figure out what Trezekke’s favorite thing to do is before the end of the class.” — Kristal Leon, Amazon Customer Review

• “Bee-ing Happy” – By Author Lisa Caprelli & Illustrator Davey Villalobos

“I just love the Unicorn Jazz books. They are so fresh and wholesome, and focused on good thoughts, yet fun for children, who are unicorn crazy these days. I’ve been reading them to my grand kids and they ask for them again and again. This one is about Jazz becoming friends with a bee, Bee-Happy. This gives me a great opportunity to talk about bees and how they work together, how honey is good for us, and a lot of other great bedtime conversations. And of course, the message that we must be happy with the simple things, and not material things, is really special. I loved the surprise coloring page at the back, and I believe that there is a coloring book which can be bought to go along with this lovely little bedtime story book. The fresh and funny illustrations are a real pleasure too.” — Amazon Book Review

• “Cutie Sue Gets a Dog” – By Author Kate Melton & Illustrator Ira Baykovska

In “Cutie Sue Gets a Dog”, the newest book of this best-selling series, Cutie Sue decides that she wants a dog as everybody around has one. Yet, her parents are not sure that Sue is ready to take on the responsibility of having a pet. Will Sue manage to be a good dog owner and a real friend? A heartwarming children’s story inspired by author Kate Melton’s own daughters and their pet dog.

“I think many a parent has been through the experience with their children of wanting a pet! Kate Melton’s NEW BOOK : ‘Cutie Sue Gets a Dog’ is so *spot on* if our kids take on the responsibility of caring for a pet it’s a … 🧡Caring 🧡Loving 🧡Constant ——-E N D E A V O R—— ! This is one book you don’t wanna miss.” – Book Review

To find out more about author Kate Melton and her work, feel free to visit her Instagram (@katemeltonbooks) and Facebook pages for further info.

• “Cousins Forever” – By Author Elisavet Arkolaki & Illustrator Charikleia Arkolaki

A beautifully written and illustrated book that captures the special relationships that cousins share, “Cousins Forever”, is a lovely tribute to this unique familial bond. Parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents can share this book with little ones who are just beginning their lifelong journey as cousins together.

A children’s book that includes concepts such as linguistic diversity, immigration, family relationships, the concept of home, and modern ways of keeping in touch, “Cousins Forever” can be a good book for ESL courses/students and can be very helpful in a classroom setting. Also available in 50+ languages in bilingual editions.

“Elisavet Arkolaki seems to have her own unique take on children’s books. Maybe an auteur with her distinctive style, as Dr. Seuss and Eric Carle have their own. The books are nicely illustrated with colored paintings in an easy, childlike, “naive” style. The text that accompanies the illustrations is a sweet story, very relatable to children, of someone close to them, of a location they are familiar with, and then an issue to overcome. In this book, it is missing a cousin who has moved away, to the other side of the world. Then the author comes up with a creative solution for the character … and also for the reader. The book provides helpful and inventive things to do, artistically and socially, to engage the reader outside of the experience with the book itself, and share with another person. Always fun and enjoyable. I only ding it one star because the illustrations in this one I didn’t find as “fun” as her other book.” — Amazon Review

To find out more about author Elisavet Arkolaki and her work, feel free to visit her website, Maltamum.com, or her Instagram (@elisavet_arkolaki) and Facebook pages for further info.

• “Oliver and the Wishing Star” – By Author Jennifer Decker & Illustrator Chrish Vindhy

A story about teaching children the value of being grateful for who they are and the things they have, “Oliver and the Wishing Star” came to author Jennifer Decker as an idea after reflecting on her own childhood experiences working with many kids over the years in her field.

“Jennifer Decker’s Oliver and the Wishing Star is a story about a young boy named Oliver who made a life-changing wish on a wishing star. Oliver was upset and frustrated because he was not allowed to go to his friend’s house since he was not done with his homework. He couldn’t help but think that life was unfair and that being a dog seemed better than living his life as a human. As soon as he saw a shooting star, he immediately made his wish, and to his surprise, he became a dog! As Oliver excitedly ran around town freely, he learned that being a dog was not as great as he thought it would be. Will he ever be able to return to his family, or will he roam the streets forever as a dog? Oliver and the Wishing Star is a fast-paced and well-written story that teaches young readers a valuable lesson. Through Oliver’s struggles, readers are taught to be more appreciative of what life has to offer. This is expressed by Jennifer Decker in the book: “The grass beneath your feet is greener than you think.” Parents and children alike will enjoy reading this extraordinary and fun tale. Aside from the inspiring and meaningful lessons expressed through such an interesting story, the simple and lovely illustrations on every page of the book were also captivating, making the story more magical. I understood and sympathized with Oliver’s troubles and learned a lot from the challenges he faced in the story. Overall, I found Oliver and the Wishing Star to be a truly inspirational and charming tale!” — Trisha Dawn, Readers’ Favorite Book Review

To find out more about author Jennifer Decker and her work, feel free to visit her website, JenniferDecker.org, her Instagram (@jennifer.decker.author), and Facebook pages for further info.

• “Super Max’s Hero Surprise” – By Author Heather E. Ryan & Illustrator Zoe Mellors

In “Super Max’s Hero Surprise”, we see that distance does not measure the level of love between families separated by military deployments.

The Super Max book series is based on author Heather’s daughter Maddy and, like Super Max, Maddy was a military kid who experienced her father being deployed for one year.

“Deployment homecoming videos always make me cry, so it’s no wonder that my eyes got a little misty when I read about Max & her dad’s reunion at the school assembly in “Super Max’s Hero Surprise”. Most people associated with the military know what it’s like to either be deployed themselves or to have a loved one that is or was deployed at some point. Separation like that is hard on the heart, mind, body, and soul for everyone involved, which is why deployment homecomings are so special, overwhelming, and emotional.It’s nice to see resources like this available to help support military families while also educating or sensitizing other Americans to the unique challenges that military families face at the same time. This book would be excellent for elementary teachers to read to students during the Month of the Military Child.” — Lori B, Book Review

To find out more about author Heather E. Robyn and her work, feel free to visit her website, HeathereRobyn.com, or her Instagram (@talesfromtherobynsnest) page for further info.

• “Mighty Mila” – By Author Katie Petruzziello & Illustrator Nadja Sarell

“Mighty Mila” provides much-needed representation for deaf/hard-of-hearing children through a fun story portraying a spunky main character who also happens to be deaf and uses cochlear implants. This inclusive book teaches children about acceptance, empathy, and respect for all types of people through an inspiring, engaging story.

The book is inspired by author Katie Petruzziello’s 6-year-old, Mila, who is deaf and uses cochlear implants to hear. She decided to write the story after her daughter got upset one night when she couldn’t find characters in her “fun books” that have cochlear implants. It was then Katie realized that she needed to fill a gap in the market for books representing deaf/hard of hearing kids where the story isn’t focused on their disability but instead shows that they can do everything their typical hearing peers can do (they just hear differently!)

“As a former Reading Specialist, I would strongly recommend this wonderfully written and beautifully illustrated picture book be used as a “read aloud” to children. This book should be part of every library collection, both in the classroom and at home. It could easily be part of the Character Education curriculum, especially aligning with the themes of “Respect for Self and Others” and “Friendship” as a springboard for very rich discussions. Mighty Mila’s message of inclusivity is presented in such a fanciful, fun way!” — Joanne DeGoria, Reading Specialist

To find out more about author Katie Petruzziello and her work, feel free to visit her website, MightyMila.com, or her Instagram (@mightymilastories) and Facebook pages for further info.

• ‘Bonding with Friends: H2O & Helium” – By Author & Illustrator Kim Donnelly

A rhyming STEM book for kids with two stories in one, “Bonding with Friends: H2O & Helium” explains how the water molecule is formed through bonding and where we see it in our everyday lives reinforcing that we should be grateful for water, how helium in balloons doesn’t bond with an inclusive message for introverts.

A chemical engineer and mom who wanted to make seemingly difficult science topics very approachable for all kids, author Kim Donnelly created this story as there are so very few popular STEM books out there that rhyme!

“A fun read for my toddler! He loves reading about how water is made up of “friends that hold hands” (hydrogen and oxygen) and that “helium can be found in the stars and the sun”. It’s clearly a great read for a wide range of ages, and I look forward to reading it with him as he gets older and watching his understanding of chemistry grow and grow!” — Christopher M., Book Review

To find out more about author/illustrator Kim Donnelly and her work, feel free to visit her website, STEMistryBooks.com, and Instagram (@stemistrybooks) page for further info.

• “Bucky the Sweet-Toothed Beaver” – By Author Papa Moose & Illustrator Yusup Mediyan

“Bucky the Sweet-Toothed Beaver” touches upon the dangers of eating too much sugar in a humorous way. Author Papa Moose came up with the inspiration for the character Bucky because, at the time, his kids were young and would eat treats all day if he and his wife let them.

“What fun!! Everyone loves beavers – especially when they’re working as a team building a dam. The great thing about this story is that the important lesson about not eating too much sugar is done with a delightfully light and entertaining touch. It’s also a lovely tale of the power of friendship. And the illustrations are absolutely gorgeous!” — Jonathan Gunson, Book Review

To find out more about author Papa Moose and his work, feel free to visit his website, PapaMooseBooks.com, or his Instagram (@papamoosebooks) and Facebook pages for further info.

• “A Curious Boy Named Jeff” – By Author Kay B & Illustrator Adriana C.Acosta

“A Curious Boy Named Jeff” teaches children about an important value: curiosity. Through a real-life story of an inspirational individual, young readers will learn what it means to be curious and how being curious can help them grow up to be successful. Both parents and children will appreciate the message and simplicity of the words and illustrations. 

The Idea for the story came to author Kay B when her son was 4. She was reading a biography and her son wanted her to read it to him. However, he was immediately bored as there were no illustrations, and that’s how the idea was born. From then on, Kay B knew she wanted to write a picture book series that was not only entertaining, but also informative and educational that can teach young children important lessons through true stories.

“Absolutely adorable book with valuable lessons for children as they grow in life such as being curious, ask questions, paying attention to things, spending time with family and helping others. Easy to understand sentences for kids of wide age range. The illustrations are beautiful, with vibrant colors. My 6 year old loved it very much and kept on reading it many nights. I liked the idea of introducing current time visionaries to young kids in simple and interesting way. I am looking forward for more in this series from the Writer.” – Amazon Customer Review

To find out more about author Kay B and her work, feel free to visit her website, KayBPublishing.wixsite.com, or her Instagram (@littlekidsbiglessons) and Facebook pages for further info.

• “Silly Willy Apple Cake” – By Author Amelia Griggs & Illustrator Winda Mulyasari

Bella loves to be silly. She laughs as she balances an apple on her arm, and asks ‘What can we make? What can we make?” Mama says “an apple cake”! So home they go, to mix and bake, and soon they are eating apple cake!

The phrase “silly willy” is a play on words and introduces the idea of fun activities using rhyming words. This book and the rest of the books in this children’s series is designed to foster love within families by promoting fun activities with parent and child. It also introduces rhyming to children. Rhyming helps children with memory and promotes learning. Reciting rhyming is also an excellent bonding activity for parents and children, or in a group setting with children.

Each story is inspired by warm childhood memories of me watching my mother cook all kinds of scrumptious foods and the fun times we had in the kitchen. Recipes for apple cake, apple chips, and icing with step-by-step instructions are included in the back of the book!

The inspiration for creating “Silly Willy Apple Cake” came from author Amelia Griggs’ mother, who taught her the joys of cooking. Amelia wrote this story in memory of her mother and how they had so much fun cooking and baking together.

“What a cute book! My kids, ages 5 and 8, loved the story of Mia and Bella and their silly rhymes. My 8 year old read the book to my 5 year old and she loved to guess the rhyming word as he read. They related to the story because we love to go apple picking and then bake all sorts of treats with our apples. The illustrations are very good and the story is simple, cute, easy to follow, and relatable. As a parent, I loved that the apple cake recipe was in the book so we can make it together like Mia and Bella. My kiddos can’t wait until the next Mia and Bella book is released because it’s about meatballs and we LOVE meatballs!” – Kay Schan, Amazon Customer Review

To find out more about author Amelia Griggs and her work, feel free to visit her website, AmeliasWritingCorner.com, or her Instagram (@ameliagwrites) page for further info.

• “Kai The Missionary Sea Turtle | Kai la tortuga marina misionera” – By Author Natalia Sepulveda & Illustrator Alejandra Lopez

“Kai the Missionary Sea Turtle” is a bilingual English-Spanish underwater adventure about missions. In this heartwarming story, author Natalia Sepulveda mixed her love for missions and sea turtles to spread the love of Jesus!

“Super cute, bright, and engaging book for young children about how we are all called to serve god in our own ways as missionaries. I love the happy illustrations! What a special book for kids! The bilingual translation is perfect to include in any library of books for children. As a teacher, I think about all of the art and science projects that can be planned as extension activities from this book.” – Kimberly King, Amazon Customer Review

To find out more about author Natalia Sepulveda and her work, feel free to visit her Instagram (@bilingual_lifestyle), Facebook, and YouTube pages for further info.

• “Lani Rae’s Marvelous Hair” – By Author Yesenia Rodriguez & Illustrator Sunny Duran

“Lani Rae’s Marvelous Hair” is a book about friendship and kindness. The book tackles the tough subject of childhood cancer and hair donation. The book is greatly inspired by author Yesenia Rodriguez’s daughter and the many times that she has donated her hair.

“Lani Rae helps her friend in a powerful way! This sweet book tackles an important message in a positive way. It shows the beauty of friendship and teaches readers about empathy. There are so many moments throughout this book that provide opportunities for important discussions to talk about difficult experiences one may encounter in life. It is an inspiring and beautifully written story that has absolutely adorable illustrations! You definitely want to make sure you read this one!” — Carly Sunshine, Amazon Customer Review

To find out more about author Yesenia Rodriguez and her work, feel free to visit her website, YeseniaRodriguezAuthor.com, or her Instagram (@yesenia.rodriguez.author) and Facebook pages for further info.

• “Queen Vernita Meets Sir HeathyBean” – By Author Dr. Dawn Menge & Illustrator Bobby Switzer

Click here to watch a read-along of this book on Facebook.com.

In “Queen Vernita Meets Sir HeathyBean”, Sir HeathyBean spends twelve informative months in Queen Vernita’s castle in the land of Oceaneers. His visit along with Cora the Teacher is centered on learning everything they can about the solar system.

An astronomer at Jet Propulsion laboratory, Mr. HeathyBean is also author Dr. Dawn Menge’s little brother!

Dr. Dawn Menge explains the solar system like a rock star! A must-read for all children! The perfect book to learn about the solar system that every child should read! This book has so many awards and it’s a must for every child to learn the solar system. I highly recommend this book to all school systems in the universe! — Jacqueline Terril, Amazon Customer Review

To find out more about author Dr. Dawn Menge and her work, feel free to visit her website, RushmorePress.com, or her Facebook page for further info.

• “Entonces llegó Oliver: Una Historia Sobre la Amistad y los Celos” – By Author/Illustrator Kelle Lima

“Entonces llegó Oliver: Una Historia Sobre la Amistad y los Celos” helps kids understand and manage jealousy within friendships. The activity book also provides resources to manage jealousy in many scenarios other than friendship – and the latter can be acquired for free on a printable format on bit.ly/writerverse.

The inspiration for this story came from author Kelle Lima’s own childhood experiences. When she was a kid she had her very own best friend… That’s at least until another girl started stealing her best friend away! After wishing that she had the social and emotional ability to deal with that situation a bit better, she felt like she lost the chance to have another great friend by her side instead of driving the only one she had away. So, Kelle Lima decided to help kids understand their feelings and handle them a bit better than she did growing up, and also to see her own daughter thrive emotionally as she grows!

“For children, it can be very significant because they are still learning about friendship. Along Came Oliver: A Story About Friendship and Jealousy is an excellent resource for addressing the issue. Learning to live with new people can be difficult at first. There is the fear of rejection, or not knowing how to start a conversation. I thought it was wonderful to have a way to explain these situations to the children. I liked Along Came Oliver because young readers will learn to develop their self-esteem and empathy. They will see that you can enjoy sharing and working as a team. I found the images in the story to be appealing and the characters are warm and expressive with their feelings. Kelle Lima shows how to deal with negative emotions so that children can develop their social skills. It also teaches that it is possible to have more than one best friend.” — Diana Lopez, Readers’ Favorite Review

To find out more about author author/illustrator Kelle Lima and her work, feel free to visit her website, bit.ly/writerverse, or her Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube pages (@writerverse_journey) for further info.

• “Chicken Fat!” – By Author Scott Drayer & Illustrator Matt Huson

Nothing is better than reading with your child. 

💪“Chicken Fat!” is a unique interactive fitness book that’s fun for the whole family. 

🐣Books available in paperback and free 🆓 for kindle unlimited users. 

🐥In the 1960’s President JFK announced he was beginning a fitness program for schools. Chicken Fat was the fitness song created for that program. 🏆The Chicken Fat Fitness program has won numerous industry awards and encourages kids to:

🔸Build self confidence and self esteem. 

🔸Learn to read and count. 

🔸Develop a love ❤️ for health 🤾🏿‍♀️ and fitness🚴‍♀️. 

🔸Perform 10 different exercises. 

🔸Get fit and have fun,the best way to learn imho. 

🔸Parents enjoy the book too😀!

🎶Its  a Sing Along Book🎶👍How great is that✅Buy today from Amazon and “Don’t be Chicken Again”. 

🇺🇸Follow to learn more

🐥Chickenfatkids.com

📣Go You Chicken Fat Goooo

As a child in the 1960s, author Scott Drayer exercised in gym class to the song, Chicken Fat, which was created to support John F. Kennedy’s council on fitness. In the 1990s, Scott Drayer created a fitness video which created a resurgence in the song and physical fitness program. Fast forward to 2018, and he published the book based on this program to teach kids to get fit and have fun.

“Chicken Fat Kids, a children’s book, is propelled by the JFK public work out schedule from the 1960’s that shows kids the significance of activity in a fun and intuitive manner. The activities are anything but difficult to perform, and the book additionally encourages kids figure out how to peruse and tally while they chime in to the celebrated chicken fat wellness melodies. Chicken fat child is a stunning youngsters’ book that urges children to assemble self-assurance and confidence. I love the delineations and thoughts to practice at home or outside and its very simple to follow. Furthermore, the page with the agenda is an incredible method to show your achievements. This book is so much fun the children love it. I love perusing it since it’s amusing to hear the children perusing along and singing the words as the attempt to do the activities. We generally wind up snickering toward the end and it’s truly showing the children to appreciate exercise and wellness.” — Book Review

To find out more about author Scott Drayer and his work, feel free to visit his website, ChickenFatKids.com, or his Instagram (@chickenfatkids) page for further info.

• “Luna’s Do-Something Day: A Trip to the Moon” – By Author Elizabeth Jurado & Illustrator Dulze Ruiz

In “Luna’s Do-Something Day”, Luna wants nothing more than to spend a day watching her tv shows, but Abuelita won’t have it. Luna must spend her day outside doing something. Pig hoots! What is there to do outside? With imagination, the possibilities are endless. Luna and her crew of two are on a mission to find Imagination. Is it somewhere on Saturn’s rings or in the craters of the moon? Hopefully it’s nowhere near the sun! Where could it be? Pigtails! It isn’t easy finding Imagination!

This action-packed story is a perfect way to promote the importance of encouraging outside play and limiting screen time for children in a fun and engaging way. This beautifully illustrated book will engage reluctant readers with oodles of giggles. It will capture the imagination of children ages 3 – 7! TV watchers and star gazers who remember what it is to be a kid oozing with imagination will find this book relatable and fun to read!

“This is a very entertaining book that not only takes children on an adventure but teaches them the power of their imagination and a little bit about space. The author does a great job of depicting, both through words and illustrations, a child’s imagination. A simple cardboard box is converted into a rocket ship. Ants become moon people. What is also great about this book is that the author throws in a bit of humor – Luna was searching for “Imagination” and it was with her all along. The illustrations were bright, colorful, and really brought out the story. Great work by the author, illustrator, and everyone else who was a part of the writing journey! A must read!” — Amazon Customer Review

• “Omar, el jaguar” – By Author/Illustrator Andrea Olatunji

Written by a Spanish teacher, “Omar, el jaguar” is a rhyming and repetitive story that introduces kids to basic vocabulary and expressions while taking them through a fascinating trip to the Amazon Forest.

Omar is a lonely jaguar that wants to make friends. He encounters other animals that invite him to play but he refuses because these don’t look like him. Later, however, he changes his mind as he realizes that they have more in common than he thought and that being different can be an advantage after all.

“A chance encounter on Facebook led me to the author and this little jewel of a children’s book in Spanish. The cover art is by the author and Amazon’s Look Inside feature further captivated me. (I believe the art is done in pen and watercolor.) When I got a copy—so entranced by the imaginative beauty—I took the time to type out the text and put it through Google Translate. (Yeah! Who does that?! That’s how impressed I was!) It’s a wonderful message of acceptance of others and will remind you of Sesame Street in its gentle, whimsical, wholesome tone. Well worth FIVE stars.” — Clarion, Book Review

To find out more about author Andrea Olatunji and her work, feel free to visit her website, Cuentacuento.com, or her Instagram (@AndreaOlatunji) and Facebook pages for further info.