Bedtime stories, gently grounded in the science of reading

A story written just for your child — to help them grow into a reader.

Prêt-à-Lire brings you an illustrated, narrated story starring your own child, with a gentle prompt afterwards for the two of you to talk about — so story time helps them grow as a reader, not just drifts them off to sleep.

The person behind the pages

Written by a mother, at her own kitchen table.

Prêt-à-Lire isn't a lab experiment — it's one mum's answer to running out of story ideas by page three, every single night. It's being made in London, for her own two children first, and, she hopes, for yours too.

Made by hand in London
Written with care, not just generated

Every story quietly does a little more.

1

Gently levelled to their stage

Vocabulary and sentence length are tuned to where your child is with reading, not just what they're into.

2

A little chat for after

Every story ends with two or three questions for the two of you to talk through together — the kind that help understanding stick, not just recall.

3

Built on how children learn to read

The shape and language of each story draw on established early-literacy research, not just what holds attention for five minutes.

What's on the pages

A story that feels like it was made just for them.

i.

Their own hero

Hair, skin tone, eyes, glasses — set up your child's likeness once, and they'll spot themselves on every page after.

ii.

Told, not just read

Each story is narrated aloud, so tired eyes can close before the last page turns.

iii.

In their mother tongue

Nine languages and counting, each one written and voiced to sound native — not translated.

iv.

Gentle guardrails, set by you

Choose the tone and content boundaries once. Every story after stays kindly within them.

Three pages, one story

From "tell me a story" to lights out.

Page one

Choose tonight's hero

Pick which child the story is for — their look is already saved from last time.

Page two

Set the scene

A theme, a mood, a lesson to land gently — as little or as much detail as you like.

Page three

Read, or be read to

An illustrated, narrated story appears — ready before the pyjamas are on.

Before you ask

A few questions we hear already.

Is this actually educational, or just entertainment?

A bit of both, really. Every story is written to be enjoyed first — but the vocabulary is gently levelled to your child's reading stage, and each one ends with a little prompt for you, built around known early-literacy practices rather than generic trivia.

Who's actually building this?

A mum in London, building the app she wished existed for her own two children — and now bringing it to other families too.

Is it actually safe for kids?

You choose a safety level for each child, and every story — the words, the pictures, the voice — stays gently within it. Nothing a child creates wanders past that boundary without you changing it.

What languages will it support?

We're launching in nine languages, written and narrated to sound native rather than translated — including a dedicated voice for Lithuanian, which most story apps skip entirely.

Will there be a free way to try it?

Yes. There'll be a free tier to get a feel for it before you'd ever need a subscription — pricing details land closer to launch.

Do I need an account for each child?

No — one family account, multiple children, each with their own look, age range, and safety settings.

When can I actually use it?

We're in the final stretch of testing now. Leave your email above and you'll hear from us the day the covers open — before anyone else.

Coming soon to
iOS Web