You have probably heard of the popular Christian Liberty Nature Readers. But, did you know you can download the public domain books this series was based on for free?  My family has owned the entire series for years, and I didn’t realize this until recently. Our children have enjoyed reading these books and have learned about a wide variety of plants and animals from them.

You may want to take a look at the public domain versions of the readers, which were published in the late 1800s, even if you already own the books. Several of the public domain books listed below contain additional chapters that were not included in the current Christian Liberty Press versions.

Be sure to read to the end of this page for a giveaway!

Christian Liberty Press Nature Reader 1

The second edition of Christian Liberty Press Nature Reader 1 is based on Nature Stories for Young Readers: Animal Life (1894). The third edition of the reader is based on a combination of select chapters from both Nature Stories for Young Readers: Animal Life and Nature Stories for Young Readers: Plant Life (1896). Most of Animal life focuses on insects, but it also has some chapters about birds and other small animals. Plant Life covers a wide variety of plants and trees. Florence Bass wrote both books.

Christian Liberty Nature Reader 2

Both the second and third editions of this reader are based on Nature Readers: Sea-side and Way-side No. 1 (1887). Julia Wright wrote this book, which is mostly about sea life and insects.

Christian Liberty Nature Reader 3

The second and third editions of this reader were both based on Nature Readers: Sea-side and Way-side No. 2 (1888). This book, also written by Julia Wright, covers more sea life and insects.

Christian Liberty Nature Reader 4

All editions of this reader were based on a vintage nature book. However, the original author and publisher are unknown, so I’m unable to verify that the book is in the public domain or locate anywhere to download it for free. Instead, you can borrow a free digital version of the first edition of Christian Liberty Nature Reader 4 (1992) for two weeks from the Internet Archive. The book consists of chapters on various birds, reptiles, insects, and more.

Christian Liberty Nature Reader 5

The second edition of this reader is based on The Child’s Book of Nature Vol. 2 (1890). Worthington Hooker, M.D., wrote this book. It’s not the usual nature book, as most of it focuses on human anatomy. The third edition of Christian Liberty Nature Reader 5 was published in 2018 and features completely new and original content rather than being based on a public domain book. Therefore, it isn’t available for free. Instead of anatomy, the new third edition is about oceans.

Do I regret buying books I could have downloaded for free?

Not at all! Christian Liberty Press has revised and updated these books many times over the years. So, the set I own is not the same as the original books from over 100 years ago. These have been some of our favorite books, so we enjoy having the print versions. Plus, the modern editions include review questions, and there are also coordinating answer keys available for purchase. You can purchase the complete set of third edition readers and answer keys from Christian Liberty Press.

Enter to Win a Set of Five Christian Liberty Readers!

Spring has sprung! To celebrate, I’m giving away a set of gently used Christian Liberty Nature Readers to one lucky reader. This set includes books one through five and is the 2nd edition.

To enter for a chance to win this set of Christian Liberty Nature Readers, use the entry form below. As you’ll see in the form, there are many ways to gain extra entries and increase your odds of winning. Good luck!

The giveaway will run from Sunday, April 23, 2023, through Monday, May 8, 2023 (ends at 5:00 pm CST). The winner will be randomly selected and notified by email shortly after the giveaway ends. Then, the winner will have 48 hours to respond to claim the prize, or an alternate winner will be randomly selected.

This giveaway is only open to U.S. residents. By entering this giveaway, you agree to be added to Freedom Homeschooling’s email newsletter list. We will never share your email address, and you may unsubscribe anytime. This giveaway is not sponsored by or affiliated with the author or publisher of Christian Liberty Nature Readers. Good luck!