Skip to the main content
PeabodyMake a free story

📚 Reading apps and reading coaches · ➗ Math apps and platforms · 🧸 Early learning (ages 2-6)

Global Digital Library

By Norad (Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation). Visit Global Digital Library

Desk research from the maker's own pages. Not yet tried by us. Checked 2026-10-24.

The Global Digital Library is a free collection of early reading books and math activities released under Creative Commons licenses and run by Norway's development agency, Norad. Books are sorted from emergent readers through Level 5, with a read-aloud shelf, and math runs from early math to grade 4. Children can earn badges, and parents or teachers can create accounts for children to track them. Volunteers translate books and math into more languages.

Our take: A decent free leveled-reading and early-math source, especially for multilingual families; decline marketing cookies when the banner appears.

The facts
Ages it suitsabout 3-10 (emergent readers to grade 4 math)
What its terms say about ageNo terms with an age rule were found. The privacy policy says parents and teachers can create accounts for their children, and accounts store name, email, country and age. (terms)
PriceFree. Free; content under Creative Commons licenses (Oct 2026).
Works onWeb
AccountA parent's account
AdsNone
In-app purchasesNone
The AI in itNo AI.

What's good

  • Free and openly licensed
  • Leveled books plus early math
  • Badges for motivation
  • Volunteer translation into local languages

Watch for

  • Facebook Pixel and Google Analytics if you accept cookies
  • No terms of use with an age rule
  • Accounts store a child's age and email
  • About page was blank when checked

Data and privacy

Norad's privacy policy follows GDPR. With cookie consent, the site uses Google Analytics and a Facebook Pixel that lets Facebook tailor the ads visitors see; accounts store name, email, country, age and badges. Read the privacy policy.

Does it work?

No study found.

In the Big Index

Alternatives to Global Digital Library

  • Desk researchPaidNo ads

    ABCmouse

    Age of Learning, Inc. · ages about 2-6 (preschool to kindergarten)

    A full preschool program for families who want one paid app; cancel carefully and watch the reward loop.

  • Desk researchFree, with paid extras

    ABCya

    ABCya.com LLC (a division of IXL Learning) · ages about 4-12 (pre-K to grade 6+)

    Handy for quick grade-level practice in class or at home; skip if you want an ad-free experience without paying.

  • Desk researchPaidNo ads

    Adventure Academy

    Age of Learning, Inc. · ages grades 3-8 (about 8-13)

    Good for kids who love online games and need a nudge toward school subjects; families wanting no social contact should set chat to off or choose a solo app.

  • Desk researchPaidNo ads

    Amazon Kids+ and Parent Dashboard

    Amazon · ages 3-12

    A good-value bundle for families already on Amazon devices with kids 3-12; skip it if your child mostly uses an iPad or a phone.

  • Desk researchFreeNo ads

    AmblesideOnline

    AmblesideOnline (volunteer advisory) · ages about 5-18 (Year 0 to Year 12)

    A strong free plan for homeschool families drawn to Charlotte Mason and literature-rich learning; secular families or those wanting an interactive program should look elsewhere.

  • Desk researchThrough schoolsNo ads

    Amira Learning

    Amira Learning · ages about 5-14 (school product; listed studies run from kindergarten to middle school)

    Worth asking about if your child's school uses it; parents cannot buy it, so home users should look at family apps instead.

Every product in reading apps and reading coaches →

Where these facts come from

Prices, terms and features change. Nobody paid to be listed, nothing here is an affiliate link, and Peabody never rates itself. Where we and the maker disagree, the maker's own pages are the ones to trust.