Hold onto your hats! Today I have the scoop on something new to the net! I know, usually I'm the last to know everything, I had to look out the window to make sure the sky wasn't on fire, and the four Horsemen were not partying in my backyard. Fortunately the sky was just smoky, and three out of four Horsemen does not and Apocalypse make.

The site we will be looking at is Freekidsbooks.org http://freekidsbooks.org/
<url> http://freekidsbooks.org/ </url>

Freekidsbooks.org was started about three months ago by Danielle Bruckert, and has already gathered a fairly good collection of authors and titles. The interface is clean, colorful, and easy for just about anyone to use.

Each book is represented by an icon of the book's front cover, a recommended age range, a brief description of the book, and one button for downloading the book as a free PDF file, and one-button for purchasing the book in hard copy if you so choose (you know if your kid really likes the book and wants to take it around with them, and you're just not comfortable with your four-year-old tooling around with your E-Reader.).

Most of the books currently on the site are available through print on-demand publishers. This means a few things. One, you probably can't stroll into your local Barnes & Noble and find these books. Two, it's a fairly environmentally friendly method of distribution as only the number of books that are sold get printed, cutting back on waste.

This site provides a great way to get your kids familiar with the computer, and with reading.

The second half of this review will take a look at the three books I have read from the site.

The first book I read was Big Mac and Little Dipper: The Staircase. Anyone who has had an old dog and a puppy at the same time will be able to relate to this book. Big Mac just wants to be left alone and nap away the day, Little Dipper just wants to play. In order for both of them to get what they want they will have to work together. The writing style is simple enough for beginning readers, and the illustrations are simple and well done. You might just find yourself more free of the stairs than you thought in the beginning of this book.

The second book I read was Zoophabet: An Alphabet Hungrier Than Most. This is a great way to teach young school-age children their alphabet. Each letter of the alphabet is creatively rendered using an animal telling you about their favorite food. This book is also available in coloring book format. This is particularly effective in that each page can be printed off multiple times allowing your child to get creative without fear of ruining the book.

My book Hazel's Secret Life is also available. It is a book about a little girl named Tina and her attempt to solve the mystery of why her dog, Hazel, is so fat. Beginning and intermediate readers will enjoy the simple writing style, and readers of all ages will enjoy looking through the surprisingly detailed pictures trying to pick out their favorite surprise in the background. My personal favorite was the movie poster for Pigs in a Blanket.

For each hard copy sold I am donating $1.00 (AKA over half my profit) to charity. From now until June I will be donating to the Ronald McDonald House.

If you are an author and wish to contribute to the site you may do so by following the submission guidelines.

"If you would like to submit a book for this site send us an email titled FREE KIDS BOOK SUBMISSION containing the following information:

1. Your site address where you want people to buy the book

2. Your book pdf (or a link to the download if it's large)

3. A short description of the book

4. Short text or quotes from any reviews

5. Any additional information yu'd like us to know – but keep it brief and to the point!

If you do not receive an answer within approximately a week or two, your mail has most likely been intercepted by a spam guard, please try again, or contact us through leaving a message at our main website

http://www.redskyventures.org/, or at http://www.facebook.com/pages/freekidsbooks.

It's a great site for authors, kids, and parents alike. Please check it out and let me know what you think or find them on facebook and post there.