The following children’s books are free and available through Amazon for the Kindle. I downloaded them because of the beautiful illustrations that are included in the public domain book. Be careful, though; not all books that are in public domain include the illustrations, as I found out with a few children’s books I downloaded and then deleted.
I took a class many years ago at the University of Pittsburgh from M. E. David, a well-known scholar in children’s literature. We used one of her books, issued by a publisher that accompanied her text with line drawings, that were not very interesting. This set her on a tirade about how children love color and beautiful illustrations and how good children’s books always have beautiful, colorful illustrations for children to see. Adults, too, like illustrations, but most adult books don’t have illustrations.
Enjoy these free books with the marvelous illustrations.
Author: Andrew Lang; illustrations by Walter Crane
Publication Information: Published by the Planet, 2011 (originally published in 1889)
ISBN: 978-1-908478-58-0
Library of Congress Classification: PZ8
Library of Congress Subject Headings:
Daughters–Juvenile fiction
Animals–Juvenile fiction
Princes–Juvenile fiction
Magic–Juvenile fiction
- Beauty’s father caught taking a rose from the Beast’s garden
- Beauty’s father returning home with the bad news
- Beauty …
- and the Beast
Author: Brothers Grimm; illustrations by Franz Jüttner
Publication Information: Published by the Planet, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-908478-35-1
Library of Congress Classification: PZ8
Library of Congress Subject Headings:
Princesses–Juvenile fiction
Dwarves–Juvenile fiction
Queens–Juvenile fiction
Witches–Juvenile fiction
Apples–Juvenile fiction
Magic–Juvenile fiction
- The wicked queen and the magic mirror
- Snow White and the seven dwarves (definitely not Disney)
- The dwarves around the dead Snow White
- The prince arriving and seeing Snow White in her coffin
- Snow White and the prince confront the wicked queen
Author: Alexander Afanasyev; illustrations by Ivan Bilibin; translated by Post Wheeler (1912)
Publication Information: Published by the Planet, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-908478-55-9
Library of Congress Classification: PZ8
Library of Congress Subject Headings:
Princes–Juvenile fiction
Emperors–Juvenile fiction
Empresses–Juvenile fiction
Vasilisa (Legendary character)–Juvenile fiction
Baba Yaga (Legendary character)–Juvenile fiction
Frogs–Juvenile fiction
Magic–Juvenile fiction
- Tsar Sultan saying good-bye to his beloved Tsaritsa Marfa, and her two sisters
- Vasilisa watching the red knight ride by her
- The fearful hag Baba Yaga
- Vasilisa leaving Baba Yaga’s house
- Koschei the Wizard
- The Tsarvich Alexis and the bird
- The youngest sister dressed in finery and at church
- Taraban the archer and his future wife
- The tsar attempting to compel Taraban’s wife to abandon him and become his wife
- Tsarevich Ivan asking an old man about the frog tsarevna, who is really Vasilisa the Wise
- Tsarevich Ivan with the Grey Wolf in disguise as Tsar Afron’s daughter, in front of the tsar
Author: Hans Christian Andersen; illustrations by Heinrich Lefler (1897); translation by H. B. Paul (1872)
Publication Information: Published by the Planet, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-908478-39-9
Library of Congress Classification: PZ8
Library of Congress Subject Headings:
Swine breeders–Juvenile fiction
Princesses–Juvenile fiction
Magic–Juvenile fiction
Title: East of the Sun and West of the Moon: Old Tales from the North
Author: Illustrated by Kay Nielsen
Publication Information: Published by the Planet, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-908478-67-2
Library of Congress Classification: PZ8
Library of Congress Subject Headings:
Girls–Juvenile fiction
Boys–Juvenile fiction
Princes–Juvenile fiction
Princesses–Juvenile fiction
Mothers and sons–Juvenile fiction
Cats–Juvenile fiction
Magic–Juvenile fiction
- The prince and his bride from East of the Sun and West of the Moon
- The bride weeping for her lost prince
- The North Wind
- The princess and her savior
- The marriage of Prince Lindworm
- The lassie taken home by the prince
- the young king setting out for home
- The king returns home to his queen
- The six sons of the king
- The faraway church where the duck egg holds the giant’s heart
- The widow’s son talking to a strange man
- The widow’s son escaping a group of trolls
Author: Hans Christian Andersen; illustrations by Edmund Dulac (1911); translation by H. B. Paul (1872)
Publication Information: Published by the Planet, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-908478-65-8
Library of Congress Classification: PZ8
Library of Congress Subject Headings:
China–Juvenile fiction
Emperors–China–Juvenile fiction
Nightingale–Juvenile fiction
Magic–Juvenile fiction
- A poor fisherman listening to the nightingale’s song
- The courtiers listening to the nightingale sing
- The footmen and ladies of the court expressing admiration for the nightingale
- The music master writing his twenty-five volumes
- Death visits the emperor