Unite for Literacy: A Free Digital Book Resource

Unite for Literacy is a website and mobile app with hundreds of free digital picture books appropriate for low and high beginning English Language learners. Learners can read the books in English, listen to English narration, and perhaps most notably, listen to narration of the book in more than fifty languages! For learners in Minnesota, languages of greatest interest are Spanish, Hmong, Somali, Burmese, Karen, Karenni, Vietnamese, Amharic, Ukrainian and Southwest Ojibwe. There are even some books with American Sign Language!  

The digital books can be used by learners during free reading time, or they can be an inspiration for a series of lessons on one book that the whole class reads and does teacher-created activities with. Being able to listen to the book in their native language will increase learners’ comprehension and their interest, inspiring them to learn to read the book in English. 

The series is designed for children, but the large majority of books may also be of interest to adult learners. Here are a few examples:

• Martin Luther King Said could be used by learners to build background knowledge by listening to the book in their first language before doing a lesson about MLK at their reading level in English. 
• What Am I? could be used to support learners’ adjective and animal vocabulary development. 
• The Mountains, The Prairie and The Forest could all be used to lay the groundwork for science-based lessons about our environment. 
• At the Mercado, Let’s Go to the Library and The City Park could be used to support a community unit in your curriculum. 

There are so many more great books to choose from. Check them out on the Unite for Literacy website or the Unite Books mobile app! 

For questions or comments about this Tutor Tip, contact Tutor Training Coordinator, Meghan Boyle at mboyle@literacymn.org.