The Free Library's mission is to "advance literacy, guide learning, and inspire curiosity," and few of our digital resources hit that mark as squarly as Tumblebooks. Tumblebooks began as a collection of gently animated talking picture books for young readers. They provide an ideal introduction to digital reading for children and are an excellent way for kids and their caregivers to engage in books together. Along the way, Tumblebooks have grown to include narrated chapter books for older readers, language learning resources for kids, educational puzzles and games, and even videos and music. The entire collection is available in English, Spanish, and French. They are compatible with your mobile device as well as your PC or Mac, and all are available to you 24/7 when you login to the Tumblebooks Library with your Free Library card number and PIN at our Digital Media page. 

These books are a great resource for children's literacy, a priority the Library has been diving into head first with our Words at Play Vocabulary Initiative, taking place at our Cecil B. Moore and Widener libraries, both in North Philadelphia. This initiative is aimed at strengthening vocabulary skills for families with children under five. With initiatives like these and resources like Tumblebooks, the Free Library has something for every family's literacy routine. 

Here's an introcudtion to Tumblebooks to help you get started: