Your child's first book is worth making together. Sit with them for the choices, stay for the wait, and read the book side by side when it opens.
Getting to the book maker
The first time your child signs in, Pip's welcome ends with "Make a book", which opens the book maker. After that, your child starts a book from "Make" in the bar along the bottom of their screens, or from "Make a new book" on their Home.
The five choices
The book maker asks five questions, one screen at a time, with a row of dots at the top showing how far along your child is. Every answer is a picture to tap.
| Screen | What your child picks |
|---|---|
| "Who is in your story?" | Up to three characters, such as a dragon, a fox or an astronaut |
| "Where does it happen?" | One place, such as a forest, a castle or space |
| "What is it about?" | One idea, such as friendship, bravery or trying again |
| "How should it feel?" | One feeling: "Funny", "Gentle", "Exciting", "Cosy", "Silly" or "Brave" |
| "How long shall it be?" | "Short", "A bit longer" or "Nice and long" |
"Next" moves on and "Back" goes back. A star on a picture is a suggestion from Pip, and nothing is picked for your child. On the last screen the button says "Make it".
The first screen can also offer "Write your own beginning", for a child who wants to type or say how their story starts, a button for a character your child drew, and a button for the season when one is on. The book maker covers all of these.
If the book maker cannot start a book, it says why in words your child can follow, such as "There are no books left. A grown-up can add more." See When the book maker says not now.
While the book is made
There is no timer and no percentage. Your child usually gets a short page to read while they wait, with their name and the character they picked, and Pip says what is happening, such as "Painting the pictures". If your child stays on this screen, the book opens by itself when it is ready. They can also press "Back to your books"; while the book is being made, their Home says "Some of your books are still being made."
- After a long wait, the screen says "This one is taking a while. It will turn up in your books when it is done."
- Sometimes a person checks a book before it is shown, and the screen says "Someone is having a quick look at this one."
- If a book cannot be finished, the screen says so, adds "Nothing was used up.", and offers "Try again".
How long a book takes says more about the wait.
Reading it together
The book opens on its first page. At the bottom left is a play button, called "Read to me" by screen readers, which reads the page aloud and highlights and underlines each word as it is spoken. Press it again to pause. Your child can tap any word to hear it on its own. A child who is still learning to sound words out also sees the sounds in it, and a short meaning appears when we have one. At the end there are a few questions about the story, and we explain the answer whichever one your child picks.
The voice is a recording made for the book when the book has one, and otherwise the device's own voice. On a device with no voice at all, the page says "Let's read this one with our eyes." If you hear nothing, see No sound, or the highlight does not follow. Read-along and the tools inside a book covers the other tools.
What a book uses
A book is paid for from your family's books when it starts, and those books are shared by all your readers.
| Book | Who gets it | Books it uses |
|---|---|---|
| Picture book | Ages 2 to 5 and 5 to 7 | 1 |
| Chapter book | Ages 7 to 9 and 9 to 12 | 2 |
The free trial has 2 books in all. On a plan, your monthly books are used before any extra books you bought. If a book cannot be finished, it is given back to your account automatically and we email you to say so. See Your monthly books.
Where the book goes afterwards
- On your child's Home, under "Books you made", and on their "My books" page.
- On your side, under Readers, then your child, then "Books". "Look over it" beside the book opens its own page; see Looking over a finished book.
- In your inbox, as an email called "(title) is ready".
- On Plan and books, where the count of books left goes down. The history shows a "Book made" line only when the book used extra books you bought.
Nothing about a finished book expires, and changing or ending your plan never removes a book your child has already made.