Books for Kids
As part of Read to Grow’s early literacy continuum, Books for Kids ensures that children of all ages have access to books, an essential literacy resource. The program supports families who have participated in Books for Babies, as well as those who are new to our services—helping to nurture strong reading habits from infancy through childhood.
Through Books for Kids, we provide free books to families, child-care providers, educators, healthcare professionals, libraries, and community organizations.
How It Works
Books for Kids offers both new and gently used books collected through donations and book drives. The program serves Connecticut residents only and cannot fulfill out-of-state requests.
Each year, the program distributes over 139,000 books, and that number continues to grow. Since its launch in 2001, Books for Kids has provided more than 2.1 million new and gently used books to children and families across Connecticut.
To request books, please complete the appropriate online form linked below. Requests typically take 4–6 weeks to process and are subject to availability. While we make every effort to meet each request, we cannot guarantee specific titles or quantities. If your request is time-sensitive, please call us at 203.488.6800 and ask to speak with a Books for Kids coordinator.
How to Request Books
We offer two request forms:
Family Book Request Form
for individual families
Please note: Any program requesting free books should pay a $15 fee if it would like Read to Grow to deliver the order. There is no fee for picking up the free books at our office in Branford.
Before any book delivery to a program occurs, the delivery payment should be made either by check or online through our Book Delivery Payment Form.
All families eligible for delivery, are exempt from delivery fees, but we always encourage book pick-ups at our office.
