Free beginning reader books for kids just learning to read
Peabody has 50 free beginning reader books for kids just learning to read, at levels 0 and 1, from 35 to 200 words each. 18 are pattern books, where a line comes back with a small change, and every page has a picture. Each opens at once with no sign-up. Free through the end of 2026.
How these books are written
Level 0 and level 1 stories use a handful of short, plain words on a page, with sounds a beginner can sound out and common words that come back again and again. Every page has a picture of the thing it names, so a new reader can check a word against it. They are short: 50 stories, 35 to 200 words each.
Pattern books
18 books are pattern books, where a line comes back again and again with a small change, often with a surprise at the end: Where Is the Cat?, Go, Snail, Go!, In My Bag, At the Farm, The Little Red Hen, Yum! and more. A pattern book is a good first one to read alone, because the child can tell what comes next.
Old favorites, retold very short
The Dog and the Bone, Lion and Mouse, Johnny Appleseed and The Tortoise and the Hare are retold at levels 0 and 1, so a first reader can read a story they may already know.
True stories
Ants Are Strong, Frogs Are Amazing and Ruby Goes to School are books of facts, not a story.
Sight word stories
A sight word is a common word a child learns to know at a glance, like the, I, see and can. 15 books here are built from only a handful of words that come back on almost every page, with a picture for the one word that changes, like I See a Boy. The sight word stories page lists them, with the common words each one repeats.
Emergent readers
An emergent reader is a book for a child who is just starting to read: a few words on a page, a line that repeats, and a picture for the word that changes. Many of the books on this page are this kind of book, and the shortest have only 35 to 50 words in all. A child can often read the repeating part alone by the second page, and check the last word against the picture.
Books you can sound out
18 books here are mostly words a beginner can sound out, like cat, hop and sits, plus a few common words. The decodable readers page sorts them by sound, from short a to blends, and says how they were counted.
Printable
Every book in the table has a Print link. It opens a page where the book prints as a small cut-and-staple book on 2 sheets of paper, or all on one page, with its pictures, and most books also print a sound-boxes sheet for practicing the sounds. It is free, needs no account, and the child can color the pictures. Try it with Where Is the Cat?.
Read aloud
These books are short enough to read aloud in a minute or two. Try echo reading, where a grown-up reads a page and the child reads it back, or partner reading, where you take turns by page, or read it together at your child's pace. Read the same book again on another day. If too many words are a struggle, read it together or pick an easier book. Where a device can speak, the story page has a Read to me button that reads each page aloud in the device's own voice.
Kindergarten and first grade
Peabody starts a kindergartener or a first grader at level 1, so the first stories feel easy; level 0 is a floor of the tiniest books for a child who needs them. See level 1 and the reading level 1 page for the limits, and short stories for 1st graders for the next step.
More free stories
- The whole library: free stories by reading level, no account needed.
- Classic stories retold short: fables, fairy tales, myths and legends.
- Free decodable readers, sorted by phonics pattern
- Free sight word stories for kids, to read and print
- Free short stories for 1st graders
- Free Aesop's fables for kids, with the lesson of each
- Free classic fairy tales for kids
- By level: Level 1
Questions parents ask
What is a decodable book?
A decodable book uses words a beginner can sound out from the letter sounds they have learned, plus a few common words to learn by sight. Peabody's level 0 and 1 stories use short, sound-it-out words and a small set of common words, repeated often, so they work like decodable readers for many beginners. They are not matched to any one phonics program. The decodable readers page sorts the ones that fit by sound.
Can my child read these alone?
Many beginners can, because the sentences are short, the words repeat and each page has a picture. A grown-up can also read them aloud together. Where a device can speak, the story page has a Read to me button.
Can I print these books?
Yes. Each book in the table has a Print link that opens a page with two layouts: a small book to cut and staple (two sheets of paper) or the whole book on one page. Every page keeps its picture. Free, with no account.
Do the books cost anything?
No. Every story on this page is free to read through the end of 2026, with no account and no card.
Checked against how Peabody works on 19 October 2026. Written with help from AI, from Peabody's own code and library. Peabody is a learning app, not an assessment: if you're worried about your child's learning, talk to their teacher.