6 Places to Get Children’s Books for Cheap

I love children’s books! The closest library branch to us has been closed for over a year, and it’s been hard to make time to go to other branches as often as I would like. Because of this, we rely heavily on our home library. My four-year-old and I read an average of 10 books a day, and I’ve been expanding our library so I won’t go crazy reading the same 10 books. Here are some ways I’ve added to our collection without breaking the bank:

2nd and Charles

Located in the Harbison Area, 2nd and Charles primarily sells used books. You can find children’s books and board books for around $5 a copy, depending on the condition. We traded in some of our books for in-store credit so we could get some for free. 

Dollar Tree

The books at Dollar Tree can be hit and miss, as their stock turns over quickly and popular books sell out fast. But you can find some great books for just $1 a piece!  We were able to score Daniel Tiger Beginning Reader books last month.

Ollie’s Bargain Outlet

There are two of these in Columbia- one on Garner’s Ferry Road and one on St. Andrew’s Road. Ollie’s has a great book section and you can find great deals on children’s books for around $3 a copy. These books are brand new and are usually in store because there was a surplus. Right now they have a great collection of Look and Find books.  

Imagination Library

Sponsored by My First Books South Carolina, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library provides one free book per month to each child that is enrolled in the program. Children ages 0-5 years can participate. You will have to register by mail. The form is available through the Dolly Parton main website. It takes about a month to process the form and 1-2 months to receive your first book. Here are some of the books we’ve gotten over the past few years: 

Scholastic Book Club

If your child is in school, they likely have access to the Scholastic Book Club. Each quarter Scholastic will provide fliers that have discounted books and book bundles. We try to just look for the books that are $1. We were able to get some Llama Llama and If You Give a Moose a Muffin books for just $1 each last year and we used them as birthday presents for cousins. 

Library Book Sales

This is my favorite way to build our home library. Once a quarter, Richland County Library holds a book sale. We’ve been able to pay an average of $1 for board books and $2 for picture books. The selection varies widely from sale to sale, so it’s always worth going back for more. Lexington County holds similar library sales throughout the year. Here are some of the books we’ve gotten:

Where do you get children’s books for cheap?