The International Children's Digital Library
Free Online Books for Kids' in Many Different Languages
The aim of the International Children's Digital Library (ICDL) is quite simple, and that is to provide books in a wide variety of languages to children all over the world. Classic and contemporary children's books are collected and digitized so they can be enjoyed by children wherever they are on the world.
Types of Free Children's Books at the ICDL
The ICDL collects both contemporary and classic children's books. Many of the books are out of copyright and in the public domain. Where books are within copyright, the copyright holder has given permission for the book to be shared with others online. Many of the books are picture books or story books and the illustrations are scanned and digitized as well as the text. Readers can search for books using a number of key search criteria. This includes title and author as well as other useful information such as language and country. The books are categorized by age group making it easy to find books for certain groups of readers.
Free Children's Books Online
The ICDL can be accessed by anyone with Internet access. Registration is not required, although members who do register have access to features such as a reading list and the ability to set personal preferences such as language. The free children's books are read online using an online reader, they are not available for download.
The online book reader allows the books to be read page by page. There are options such as the ability to enlarge the size of the text or images, or view the book in comic book or spiral bound formats.
About The International Children's Digital Library
The ICDL is run by the International Children's Digital Library Foundation which is a non-profit organization. The ICDL cite a paper published in 2005 by UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization) which stated "Denial to access to information in one's mother tongue is equivalent to a denial of a human right." The report concluded, "In terms of pedagogy, how do children learn best? In their mother tongue." Recognizing the importance of allowing children access to books in their first language has resulted in a vast collection of digitized children's books from around the world.
Supporting the ICDL
Support can be given to the ICDL in a number of ways. In addition to financial support, people are invited to support the ICDL by scanning or translating books, or becoming an ICDL ambassador which helps the library in a variety of ways.
The ICDL offers young readers from around the world the opportunity to read and access a wide range of books. This is a great resource for people looking to read books in their own language as well as for learners of a new language or people who are researching children's literature from around the world or from previous decades.
More information can be found on the ICDL website.
Further Reading
- Children's Book Online: The Rosetta Project
- Get the Most From Free Children's Books Online
- Advantages of Free Children's Books Online
Free Children's Books Online
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