TaleTykes is a reading app for children aged 2 to 12. Your child picks who is in a story and where it happens, and we write and illustrate a new book for them at the level they are reading right now. Then your child reads it, on their own or with you, and each word is highlighted and underlined as it is read aloud.
Who it is for
A grown-up sets up the account, and you need to be 18 or over to do that. You then add each child as a reader, with a first name and an age group. We write books for four age groups, and the books change a good deal between them.
| Age group | What your child gets |
|---|---|
| Ages 2 to 5 | A short picture book to share aloud |
| Ages 5 to 7 | A first book to read yourself, built from the letter sounds your child has been taught |
| Ages 7 to 9 | A first chapter book with a hook at the end of each chapter |
| Ages 9 to 12 | A longer story with subplots, and paths your child can choose |
The four age groups explains the lengths, the pictures and the chapters at each age.
What you do and what your child does
| You | Your child |
|---|---|
| Create the account and do a one-time card check that shows an adult set it up | Signs in with a PIN or a row of pictures, on a device you have set up |
| Add each reader, with their age group and the language for their stories | Makes a book by answering five questions, mostly by tapping pictures |
| Choose, if you want, a daily reading limit, a bedtime and topics to leave out | Is told plainly when the day's reading time is used up, with no way to extend it |
| Follow the reading and the measured level of each book from your dashboard | Reads the book, with "Read to me" and help with any word they tap, and sees none of your figures |
How a book is made
- Your child answers five questions: who is in the story, where it happens, what it is about, how it should feel and how long it should be. Then they press "Make it".
- We write the story from scratch, following those choices and the rules for your child's age group. Nothing comes from a collection of stories written in advance, so every book is new.
- We measure how hard the sentences and words are. If a draft misses the level it was written for, we rewrite it before a single picture is drawn.
- Our checks read every story before anyone sees it. When a check cannot finish, the story waits instead of going through.
- The pictures are drawn and checked, the pages are put in order, and the book is ready to read along.
While this happens, your child can watch Pip say what is going on, or go back to their books and find the new one there later. How a book is made goes into more detail.
Pip, the guide
Pip is the character on your child's screens. Pip helps a child who cannot yet read the buttons, says what each screen is for, and then gets out of the way. Pip tells your child that it is a computer program and not a person, and never claims to be a friend or a pet. Everything Pip says is shown on the screen as text, and Pip only reads it aloud if you or your child switch that on. See Pip's voice.
What is not here
There are no ads, no notifications and no streaks to chase. Nothing we do can make your child's device buzz, we send your child no messages, and we never email you to bring you back. When your child reads on several days in a row, we say so as a fact and never ask for one more day. Screen time describes what we left out on purpose.
Getting started
Setting up your account walks through each step, from creating the account to handing the tablet over. You start with 3 free days and 2 books, and How the free trial works explains what happens after that.
If you have a question before you sign up, the FAQ answers the common ones, and you can write to us at support@taletykes.com.