Telling us about a problem with a book

How to tell us that a book your child made went wrong, what happens after you do, and the other ways to reach us about a book.

Making booksUpdated

If a book your child made has something in it that should not be there, or has gone wrong in a way you cannot fix by changing the words or drawing a picture again, tell us. A person reads every report, and if we agree with you, the books it used are given back to your account.

Reporting a book your child made

You report a book from its own page, and only the account holder can do it.

  1. Go to Readers and choose your child.
  2. Open the "Books" tab and press "Look over it" beside the book.
  3. At the bottom of the book's page, under "If something is wrong", press "Something is wrong with this book".
  4. In the box, write what was wrong with it in a sentence or two.
  5. Press "Send it to us", or "Never mind" if you change your mind.

"Look over it" is there for books that are ready, put away or waiting for you. A book that is still being made, is being checked or was not made cannot be reported this way. If you need to tell us about one, use Help instead.

What happens next

  1. The book is put away at once. Your child can no longer see it, and the book's page shows "Sent to us". It stays put away while we look, and "Bring it back" is not offered in the meantime.
  2. A person reads the book and what you wrote. Until they have decided, the book's page says your report is with a person.
  3. We decide. The person reading it chooses one of these:
What we decideWhat happens to the book
It should not have been delivered as it wasThe books it used are given back to your account, and the book stays put away. The page then says "You told us about this book, and it has been given back to your account."
It can stayThe book goes back to where it was. If your report is what put it away, it returns to your child's shelf. If you had already put it away yourself, it stays put away, and "Bring it back" is yours to press again.
It should not be readThe book stays put away, and "Bring it back" is not offered.

When books you bought are given back, the history on Plan and books shows "Book refunded" with the note "Given back after you told us about it". Books from your monthly allowance go back into your monthly count instead. Refunds explains the other ways books and money come back.

Once you have reported a book, its page shows where your report has got to in place of the button, so each book can be reported once. If you have more to add, or a question about what we decided, write to us through Help.

Other ways to tell us

  • Through Help. In Help in your dashboard, under "Ask us something", choose "Something in a book upset my child" for anything in a book that upset your child, or "The reading level, or how a book turned out" for a book that was too hard, too easy or not what your child asked for. A person reads every message, and the answer appears on the same page.
  • By email, for anything urgent about a child. The Help page names privacy@taletykes.com as the faster route.
  • A book that was stopped. If a book shows "Not made" and you think our checks were wrong, use "Ask us to look again" instead; see When a book cannot be made.

When your child finds a problem

Your child can tell us about a book in the shared library from their own screen, and once comments are open, about a comment too. They choose a reason from a short list, and a person reads what they send. Reporting a book or a comment explains what they see and what happens next.

If a book upset your child

Talk with your child about what they read, and tell us through Help what it was, so we can look at the book and at the checks that let it through. No check is perfect, and what you tell us is how we find out where ours fall short.

If something your child writes suggests they may need help, we tell you. Safety alerts explains what we send and the help lines we list. If you think your child is in danger right now, call your local emergency number.

Next in Making books: Turning your child's drawing into a hero

Was this article helpful?

  • How a book is made

    The steps a book goes through between your child pressing "Make it" and the book reaching their shelf, and when a person reads it.

  • The book maker

    The five questions your child answers to make a book, the extra choices on the first step, and what they see while the book is made.

  • How long a book takes

    Why we do not promise a time for a new book, what your child sees while they wait, and the emails that tell you how it went.

  • When a book cannot be made

    What happens when our checks stop a book, when a book cannot be finished, or when a person needs to read it first, and what happens to the books it used.

Still need a hand?

Write to us at support@taletykes.com and a person will answer. There are no bots and no ticket numbers.

For anything urgent about a child's safety or privacy, write to privacy@taletykes.com. Short answers to common questions are on the questions page.