📚 Storybook library
The Library is one of the places on Lily's town map, and inside is a cosy reading room with a real bookshelf: 28 picture books that children can read on their own or listen to, page by page.
How the reader works
- Pick a book from the shelf. Covers are big, and each one shows a Level badge.
- Turn pages with the arrow buttons, or swipe on a touch screen. The pictures are the original illustrations.
- Press "🔊 Read page" and a warm narrator reads the page aloud, so children who can't read yet can still enjoy every story, and early readers can follow the words while they listen.
Which books are on the shelf?
Two kinds of books: 18 short picture books from StoryWeaver, a free, openly licensed children's library by Pratham Books, and 10 Beatrix Potter classics such as The Tale of Peter Rabbit and The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck, which are in the public domain. The book list shows all 28 with their authors, illustrators and levels.
Reading levels
- Level 1: a few words or one short sentence per page, lots of repetition. Good first books to read alone, or to "read" from the pictures.
- Level 2: longer sentences and a bit more story.
- Level 3: full little stories for confident young readers, or to read aloud together.
The Beatrix Potter tales use rich, old-fashioned language ("soporific", "periwigs") even when the story is simple, so they work best read aloud or with the narrator.
Ideas for reading together
- Read the page yourself first, then press "Read page" and let your child compare.
- For early readers: turn the narration on for new words only, and let them read the rest.
- Ask what happens next before turning the page.
- After The Red Raincoat, dress Lily in her Rain Boots in the wardrobe.