We do not promise a time for a new book. A book is planned, written, checked, drawn and recorded in separate steps, and how long those take depends on the book: a chapter book for an older reader has many more words than a picture book, and a picture that has to be drawn again adds to the wait. So we tell your child what is happening rather than how long is left, and we email you when the book is ready.
What your child sees while they wait
The waiting screen has no countdown, no timer and no percentage, because a number would be a promise about time that we cannot keep. Your child usually gets a first page to read straight away, and a line beside Pip says what is happening, such as "Writing the words", "Painting the pictures" or "Getting ready to read along". Underneath, the screen says "You can read this page while the rest is written."
Your child does not have to stay on that screen. If they press "Back to your books", the book carries on being made and turns up in their books when it is finished. If they stay, the screen opens the book for them as soon as it is ready.
If it is taking a while
After the waiting screen has been open for some time, it stops checking and says "This one is taking a while. It will turn up in your books when it is done.", with a "Back to your books" button. That message comes from the screen, which stops asking so that a forgotten tab does not keep checking all afternoon. It does not mean the book has stopped.
The screen can also end in one of two other ways:
- "Let's try a different idea for this one." means the book was stopped or could not be finished. The books it used are given back to you automatically.
- "Someone is having a quick look at this one." means a person is reading the book before it goes any further.
When a book cannot be made explains both.
How you find out
You do not need to watch the screen, because we write to you about how each book turned out:
| Email subject | When we send it |
|---|---|
| "[title] is ready" | The book is finished and on your child's shelf. Its "Open the library" button takes you to your child's page. |
| "We could not finish [title]" | We stopped the book. The email says whether the books it used have been given back. |
| "[title] is being checked" | A person is reading the book first. The email says this usually takes a few hours. |
These emails go to your account's email address. They cannot be turned off, because each one is about a book your child asked for, and nothing is ever sent to your child. Emails we send lists every email, and Emails not arriving helps if these do not reach you.
You can also see where a book has got to on your child's Books tab: go to Readers, then your child, then Books. A book in progress shows as "Being made", a finished one as "Ready", and one a person is reading as "Being checked".
If a book seems stuck
When a step of making a book fails, we try it again, and a book that still cannot be finished is stopped and its books come back to you automatically. A book can occasionally stall without failing, though. If one has shown "Being made" for much longer than your child's books usually take, see A book is taking a while for what to check and when to write to us.
If the steps above do not help, ask us through Help in your dashboard and choose "The reading level, or how a book turned out". If you are not signed in, write to support@taletykes.com.