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How to get children's books in English when you live abroad

4/12/2017

4 Comments

 
How to get children's books in English when you live abroad

You’re living abroad and it’s not that easy to find a variety of children’s books in English.

Unless you live in a big city, there won’t be specialized English bookstores. Well, actually, you don’t even want to keep buying all the books you read with your child. At the same time, you love reading in English together and believe it’s crucial for his/her language development and literacy skills.

What can you do?

Get creative.

1. Swap

Exchange books with other English speaking parents in your area. You can just borrow from each other or swap for good.

Online groups - try searching on Facebook: “Book swap in (your city/country)”, “English book swap in (your city/country)”, “Children’s book swap in (your city/country)”.

​Organize a book swap party. For an idea on how to organize one, read this. 

2. Make going to the library a habit

If your local library doesn't offer a great selection of English books, ask them if it's possible to place requests. 

3. Ask for it

Gently have your friends and family know that you and your children would like books for Christmas or their birthday.

4. Try Freecycle

It’s a group where people give and take stuff for free. Type in your city, join a local group and see what you find! Here's the link.

5. Free ebooks 

I know, there’s nothing like the feel of a real book. But I have to confess that I’m a recent Kindle convert and I love how practical it is (because I also love travelling, a neat home and saving money). You can get free Kindle children’s books on Amazon or read free stories on Wattpad.

Free Oxford Owl ebooks

Free classics on Gutenberg Project

6. Look for a Cultural Association in your area

They might have a library, events, workshops, playgroups and much more. Try searching “(Your nationality) cultural association in (your location)” or  “English speaking children in (your location)”.

7. Make your own. Why not? :)

8. If you do want to buy:

Book Depository offers free shipping worldwide and has a great selection.

Scavenge second hand shops, websites and local markets.

9. And why not listen to a story?
This website has tons of videos of great books being read aloud.

***


Now I’m curious: how do you get books for your children? Where do you live? Leave a comment or join us on Facebook.

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4 Comments
Trisha Traughber link
5/12/2017 09:55:39 am

My husband and I both taught at a bilingual school before we left for France and so we started stockpiling old reading books before we even had kids. Because we're nerds I guess ;) Also, my parents really like sending little packages from overseas...and on our visit to the States we purchase books sometimes. It's pretty easy to get really small or thin easy readers you can travel with. Our local library is also ok for in its English selection--as far as books to read goes. But it's been really nice having a steady supply of leveled readers for my daughter to build her confidence in English.

Reply
Ana Miranda
5/12/2017 07:56:07 pm

Hi Trisha,
How prepared - collecting books even before your children were born (I already have a couple in Portuguese as well, hehe).
Nerd cheers,
Ana :)

Reply
Amanda Valtierra
29/6/2018 04:37:10 am

Thanks for the great tips! Our family has been in Mexico for 2.5 years and my children are 3 & 5. We're members of a local library system in my home state of Washington. Using our card numbers there, we are able to access their extensive library of ebooks. It has been a game changer for family reading time and exposure to English language and vocabulary while we're abroad. It's worth checking out for families that plan to go abroad or those who live abroad and are planning a trip back to the U.S. Of course, the different library systems vary greatly, but you might be amazed at what's available! It's so nice for me, as an adult isolated from my language as well. We read daily and it costs us nothing at all. Happy reading!

Reply
Ana Elisa Miranda
7/10/2018 09:48:56 am

What a great tip, Amanda! Thanks!

Reply

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     I'm Ana - a teacher who loves reading, writing, traveling and nature. 

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