How To Keep Kids Reading When the Library Is Closed

Maybe it’s a snow day.
Maybe it’s a pandemic.
Or maybe you just forgot your library’s summer hours.

Whatever it is, you aren’t able to go to story time or check out a new stack of books for your kids. Now what?

Did you know there are gobs and gobs of easy-to-access books online?

I’m not talking about Hoopla or Overdrive or any other site that requires a user name and password. I love those sites, but sometimes signing up for one more new thing (and the dozen emails that accompany it) isn’t what I want to do.

I’m talking about click-a-link and your student is being read to. Easy and hassle free.

So, here is a giant list of those. Click and listen. Some are read by famous people; some are read by great storytellers; some read by the original authors; and some are even read from outer space!

The Giant List of Online Picture Books

• 123 Peas (Happy Cultivated)
• Ada Twist, Scientist (Story Time from Space)
• All Pigs Are Beautiful (Candlewick Press)
• Alligator Baby read by author Robert Munsch *no video, only audio
• Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
• Arnie the Doughnut (Storyline Online)
• Astronaut Annie (Story Time from Space)
• Axel the Truck: Bumpy Road (Harper Kids)
• A Bad Case of Stripes
• The Bad Seed (Happy Cultivated)
• The Bear Ate Your Sandwich (Brightly Storytime)
• Bear Snores On read by author Karma Wilson
• Big Blue Whale (Candlewick Press)
• Billy the Goat’s Big Breakfast read by author Jez Alborough
• Bing Get Dressed
• The Book with No Pictures read by author B. J. Novak
• Brave Irene (Storyline Online)
• Carla’s Sandwich (Storyline Online)
• Carmela Full of Wishes (Brightly Storytime)
• The Case of the Missing Carrot Cake (Storyline Online)
• Catching the Moon (Storyline Online)
• Caterpillar, Caterpillar (Candlewick Press)
• Charlie the Ranch Dog read by author Ree Drumond
• Chester’s Way (Storyline Online) *with ASL
• The Circus Thief read by author Alane Adams
• Clark the Shark (Storyline Online)
• Class Clown read by author Robert Munsch *no video, only audio
• The Coal Thief (Storyline Online)
• Cock-a-Doodle Oops! read by author Lori Degman
• The Color Kittens (Brightly Storytime)
• The Crayon Man read by author Natascha Biebow
• The Day You Begin (Brightly Storytime)
• Dear Zoo read by author Rod Campbell
• Dinner at the Panda Palace read by author Stephanie Calmenson
• The Dot
• Duck for President
• Earth Day: An Alphabet Book (Happy Cultivated)
• Eat Pete (Brightly Storytime)
• Egg read by Kevin Henkes
• The Elves and the Shoemaker (Storyline Online)
• The Empty Pot (Storyline Online)
• Endeavor’s Long Journey (Story Time from Space)
• Enemy Pie (Storyline Online)
• Fancy Nancy Bonjour Butterfly
• Farm Babies (Happy Cultivated)
• Farmer Duck (Candlewick Press)
• As Fast as Words Can Fly (Storyline Online)
• A Field Full of Horses (Candlewick Press)
• The Fire Station read by author Robert Munsch *no video, only audio
• Game Changers read by author Lesa Cline-Ransome
• Gator, Gator, Gator (Harper Kids)
• Get Out of Bed! read by author Robert Munsch *no video, only audio
• Gingerbread Baby read by author Jan Brett *video download
• Goodnight, Harry (Candlewick Press)
• Green Eggs and Ham
• A Greyhound, A Groundhog read by author Emily Jenkins
• Growing Frogs (Candlewick Press)
• Guji Guji (Storyline Online)
• Hair Love (Brightly Storytime)
• Handa’s Hen (Candlewick Press)
• Harry the Dirty Dog (Storyline Online)
• Here Comes the Garbage Barge (Storyline Online)
• Hey, That’s My Monster! (Storyline Online)
• A Hole in the Bottom of the Sea (Barefoot Books) *book set to music
• Hooray for Fish! (Candlewick Press)
• Hoot and Peep (Brightly Storytime)
• The House That Jane Built (Storyline Online)
• How Do Dinosaurs Say I’m Mad? (Happy Cultivated)
• How Do Penguins Play? (Brightly Storytime)
• How I Became a Pirate (Happy Cultivated)
• How I Learned Geography (Storyline Online)
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Brightly Storytime)
• How To Catch a Leprechaun (Happy Cultivated)
• How To Cheer Up Dad (Brightly Storytime)
• The Hula-Hoopin’ Queen (Storyline Online)
• I Have to Go! read by author Robert Munsch *no video, only audio
• I’ll Love You Until the Cows Come Home (Harper Kids)
• I Need My Monster (Storyline Online)
• The Incredible Intergalactic Journey Home (Story Time from Space)
• Ice Bear (Candlewick Press)
• If I Ran for President (Storyline Online)
• Joan Procter, Dragon Doctor (Brightly Storytime)
• Kate, Who Tamed the Wind (Brightly Storytime)
• The King Who Rained (Happy Cultivated)
• Kitten’s First Full Moon ready by Kevin Henkes
• The Kissing Hand read by author Audrey Penn
• Knots on a Counting Rope (Storyline Online)
• Ladybug Girl at the Beach read by authors David Soman and Jacky Davis
• Library Lion (Storyline Online)
• Ling and Ting Not Exactly the Same read by author Grace Lin
• Little Excavator (Brightly Storytime)
• Little Owl’s Snow (Brightly Storytime)
• Little Red Riding Hood
• Little Tree (Brightly Storytime)
• Llama Llama Easter Egg (Happy Cultivated)
• Llama Llama Red Pajama read by author Anna Dewdney
• The Lorax (Brightly Storytime)
• Lotus and Feather (Storyline Online)
• Madeline (Brightly Storytime)
• Maria Had a Little Llama read by author Angela Dominguez
• Max and the Won’t Go to Bed Show
• Me and My Cat (Storyline Online)
• Mice Twice (Storyline Online)
• Millions of Cats (Brightly Storytime)
• The Mitten read by author Jan Brett
• Miss Maple’s Seeds (Brightly Storytime)
• Monster Needs a Party read by author Paul Czajak
• A Moon of My Own (Story Time from Space)
• Moose read by author Robert Munsch *no video, only audio
• More Pies! read by author Robert Munsch *no video, only audio
• Mortimer read by author Robert Munsch *no video, only audio
• Mmm, Cookies! read by author Robert Munsch *no video, only audio
• My Friend Maggie (Brightly Storytime)
• My Presents read by author Rod Campbell
• My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother (Storyline Online)
• Nat the Cat’s Sunny Smile read by author Jez Alborough
• The Night I Followed the Dog (Storyline Online)
• Noah’s Ark (Candlewick Press)
• No Clean Clothes read by author Robert Munsch *no video, only audio
• No Mirrors in My Nana’s House (Storyline Online)
• No More Noisy Nights (Storyline Online)
• Noisy Farm read by author Rod Campbell
• Oh Dear! read by author Rod Campbell
• Oh, the Places You’ll Go! (Brightly Storytime)
• Olivia
• Over in the Meadow (Barefoot Books) *book set to music
• Owen read by Kevin Henkes
• Owl Babies (Candlewick Press)
• The Paper Bag Princess read by author Robert Munsch
  *no video, only audio
• A Parade of Elephants read by Kevin Henkes
• Penguin (Candlewick Press)
• Pete the Cat I Love My White Shoes (Happy Cultivated)
• Pigs read by author Robert Munsch *no video, only audio
• Pinkalicious read by author Victoria Kann
• Playhouse read by author Robert Munsch *no video, only audio
• Please Please the Bees (Storyline Online)
• The Poky Little Puppy (Brightly Storytime)
• The Pout-Pout Fish Goes to School (Happy Cultivated)
• The Princess and the Pea (Brightly Storytime)
• A Promise Is a Promise read by author Robert Munsch *no video, only audio
• Purple, Green, and Yellow read by author Robert Munsch *no video, only audio
• Put Me in a Book! read by author Robert Munsch *no video, only audio
• Randy Riley’s Really Big Hit (Happy Cultivated)
• The Rainbow Fish (Happy Cultivated)
• The Ravenous Beast (Candlewick Press)
• Rent Party Jazz (Storyline Online)
• Ribbon Rescue read by author Robert Munsch *no video, only audio
• Roar! read by author Robert Munsch *no video, only audio
• Rosie Revere, Engineer (Story Time from Space)
• The Saggy Baggy Elephant (Brightly Storytime)
• The Sandcastle Contest read by author Robert Munsch *no video, only audio
• Seaver the Weaver read by author Paul Czajak
• Señorita Mariposa read by author Ben Gundersheimer
  *English and Spanish
• Shark vs. Train (Happy Cultivated)
• Sheep Dog and Sheep Sheep (Harper Kids)
• Show and Tell read by author Robert Munsch *no video, only audio
• Silly Suzy Goose (Candlewick Press)
• Skippyjon Jones Snow What read by author Judy Schachner
  *leaves with “to be continued . . .” Encourage your student to finish the story!
• Smash! Crash! read by author Jon Scieszka
• Smelly Socks read by author Robert Munsch *no video, only audio
• Snappsy the Alligator (Did Not Ask to Be in This Book) (Storyline Online)
• The Snowy Day (Happy Cultivated)
• Some Dogs Do (Candlewick Press)
• Some Pets (Happy Cultivated)
• Something Good read by author Robert Munsch *no video, only audio
• Sophie’s Masterpiece (Storyline Online)
• Splish, Splash, Splat
• Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon (Happy Cultivated)
• Strega Nona read by author Tomie dePaola
• Stellaluna (Storyline Online)
• Stephanie’s Ponytail read by author Robert Munsch *no video, only audio
• The Story of Ferdinand (Brightly Storytime)
• Stuck read by author Oliver Jeffers
• Surprising Sharks (Candlewick Press)
• Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (Storyline Online)
• T. Rex (Candlewick Press)
• A Tale of Two Beasts (Storyline Online)
• The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Storyline Online)
• Ten Magic Butterflies read by author Danica McKellar
• Thank You, Mr. Falker (Storyline Online)
• Thelma the Unicorn read by author Aaron Blabey
• There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly (Brightly Storytime)
• Think of an Eel (Candlewick Press)
• This Is Our House (Candlewick Press)
• The Three Bears (Brightly Storytime)
• Tigress (Candlewick Press)
• Too Much! Not Enough! read by author Gina Perry
• Too Much Stuff read by author Robert Munsch *no video, only audio
• The Tooth (Storyline Online)
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar read by author Eric Carle
• Thomas’ Snowsuit read by author Robert Munsch *no video, only audio
• To Be a Drum (Storyline Online)
• The True Story of the Three Little Pigs read by author Jon Scieszka
• Ultimate Jungle Rumble read by author Jerry Pallotta
• Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt read by author Kate Messner
• Up, Up, Down read by author Robert Munsch *no video, only audio
• Up, Up, Up (Barefoot Books) *book set to music
• Waiting by Kevin Henkes
• Waiting for Bibliburro (Brightly Storytime)
• Walk with a Wolf (Candlewick Press)
• We Share Everything read by author Robert Munsch *no video, only audio
• We’re Going on a Bear Hunt read by author Michael Rosen
• Where Are You Blue Kangaroo?
• When a Dragon Moves In? (Storyline Online)
• When Pigasso Met Mootisse (Storyline Online)
• Where’s Walrus? And Penguin? read by author Stephen Savage
• White Socks Only (Storyline Online)
• Wilfred Gordon MacDonald Partridge (Storyline Online)
• With Any Luck, I’ll Drive a Truck (Brightly Storytime)
• The Wonderful Things You Will Be (Happy Cultivated)
• Wonders of Nature (Brightly Storytime)
• You Are My Happy (Harper Kids)
• You’re All My Favorites
• Zoom! read by author Robert Munsch *no video, only audio

If you are looking for more holiday books, you can find many more at Happy Cultivated.

If you are looking for more books set to music, Barefoot Books has several choices.

Download the Online Story Time List

If you’d like the online story time list in a printable form, just click here to access a pdf version. Yes, all the links are still linked.

If you find another great story, please share in the comments!

Also, if you want MORE and don’t mind signing up or signing in, don’t forget to check out what digital resources your library has to offer.

Other options include Scholastic Learn at Home and Tumblebooks.

Happy Reading (and listening)!