Free to read · Illustrated · Narrated
At eight, a story can hold more: a goodbye that really hurts, a clever discovery, and a joke that keeps building. These three are about ten pages each—long enough for a real story, short enough for bedtime—and narrated when they would rather listen.
Every book here is free to read, no account needed.
Bramble wants one more game before Rill leaves. Both friends have something they have not said about the goodbye.
Hear the real narration
“Rill was leaving at sunrise. All day, Bramble watched her best friend hop along the fence, t…”
At an Easter picnic, Ada follows a butterfly in search of a new color and finds a different way to decorate Grandpa’s egg.
Hear the real narration
“At the family Easter picnic, Ada held up a plain wooden egg. "I want to give Grandpa a color…”
Crispin hides in a Christmas gift box, with his beak and feet in plain sight. Vesper’s silly guesses turn his surprise into a game for two.
Hear the real narration
“Crispin loved an entrance. On Christmas morning, he placed an enormous open gift box beside…”
Choosing tonight’s book
Bramble’s story is the tender one: her friend leaves, and a remembered joke helps her smile before sleep. Ada’s Easter story is gentle and clever. Crispin and Vesper’s Christmas guessing game is the one for a laugh.
Make your own
Start with this idea, or swap in their name, a favorite toy, or tonight’s worry. You’ll read the story, with its first pictures, before you sign up.
Questions, answered
Ten to twenty minutes works for many eight-year-olds, and they may want to read part of it themselves. The stories here are about ten pages and three minutes of narration; an Epic Storybook (16 to 20 pages) gives a longer adventure.
Many can, at least a page or two. The words are pitched for the age you choose, and highlighted words follow along with the narration, so eight-year-olds can read, listen, or both.
Real stakes, clever problem-solving, and characters who get things wrong and make them right. Funny is still welcome, and so are stories that leave something to talk about.
Yes. Put their name and what they’re into right now in your idea—“Maya builds a machine that turns worries into bubbles”—and choose age 8. Your first illustrated, narrated Storybook is free.
Your first illustrated, narrated Storybook is free. Read it before you sign up, no credit card required.