Grow & Play

Small words. Big adventures.

Original stories for first reading and longer tales to share at bedtime. Large type, illustrations and optional questions—at your family’s pace.

learn to read

Small words.
Big adventures.

Short original stories with large type, gentle repetition and questions to talk about together.

Ada sits beside Grandfather on a cream rug, looking at a rainy window near a box with a red wooden train and two blue carriagesORIGINAL GROW & PLAY STORY
BEDTIME STORY · AGES 4–8

Ada and the Rainy-Day Train

Rain changes Ada’s picnic plans. A wooden train, a paper route and Grandfather’s quiet company make room for a different journey, without pretending the disappointment has vanished.

▤ 8 cosy chapters▣ 4 pictures◷ 7 min
Read at bedtime →
Oona the brown otter in a teal vest sits beside a box of coloured wooden blocks and reaches for a yellow block near a small upright towerORIGINAL GROW & PLAY STORY
FIRST READING · AGES 5–7

Oona and the Wobbly Tower

Up, up, up… plop! Oona’s tower falls over. A friend, a wide block and one new idea turn a tumble into a funny little house.

▤ 8 short pages▣ 4 pictures◷ 4 min
Start reading →
Tessa the red squirrel and her grandmother notice a small hole in a blue-teal leaf-patterned blanketORIGINAL GROW & PLAY STORY
BEDTIME STORY · AGES 4–8

Tessa and the Story Blanket

A worn blanket, three fabric patches and a little felt mouse become a quiet story about choosing help and making room for something new.

▤ 8 gentle chapters▣ 4 pictures◷ 8 min
Read together →
Tavi the tortoise and Moss the mouse look at a paper map with a tree, bench and cottageORIGINAL GROW & PLAY STORY
An early-reading story about finding another way

Tavi and the Little Map

A little tortoise, a mouse and a map with a surprise. A dry path leads to a new line on the paper.

▤ 6 short pages▣ 3 pictures◷ 4 min
Start reading →
Ginger kitten Mika holds a green-and-yellow striped sock and looks under a wooden chairORIGINAL GROW & PLAY STORY
FIRST READING · AGES 5–7

Mika and the Missing Sock

One sock is here. Where is the other? Help a little kitten look, then enjoy a funny discovery.

▤ 5 short pages▣ 2 pictures◷ 3 min
Start reading →
Mouse Nora in a teal scarf draws a leaf in her notebook on a bench beside a cottage at duskORIGINAL GROW & PLAY STORY
BEDTIME STORY · AGES 4–8

Nora and the Book of Small Sounds

A mouse with a blank notebook discovers that a rustling leaf, a creaky gate and a friend’s footsteps can hold a whole evening.

▤ 6 quiet chapters▣ 3 pictures◷ 6 min
Read together
Lumi draws a crescent moon on a cream postcard at a low wooden table, with two more cards and an ochre mail bag nearbyORIGINAL GROW & PLAY STORY
BEDTIME STORY · AGES 4–8

Lumi and the Goodnight Post

Three moon cards and a little mail bag help Lumi discover that a goodnight can be whispered, drawn or quietly left at the door.

▤ 8 gentle chapters▣ 3 pictures◷ 8 min
Read at bedtime →
Lumi and his grey mouse friend on a garden mat with two cups ready for the two friendsORIGINAL GROW & PLAY STORY
EARLY READER · AGES 5–7

Lumi and One More Cup

Two cups, a little garden mat and a new guest. A short story about making room, with counting from two to three.

▤ 6 short pages▣ 3 pictures◷ about 3 min
Start reading →
Lumi and a little grey mouse beside an unfinished blue paper boat in a warm burrow at sunsetORIGINAL GROW & PLAY STORY
BEDTIME STORY · AGES 4–8

Lumi and the Box for Tomorrow

A half-folded boat, a mouse friend and a little wooden box help Lumi make room for rest without losing a favourite idea.

▤ 8 gentle chapters▣ 4 pictures◷ 8 min
Read at bedtime →
Lumi sits in a daisy meadow and looks up at a soft white cloud shaped like a little boatORIGINAL GROW & PLAY STORY
EARLY READER · AGES 5–7

Lumi and the Little Cloud

One cloud, two good ideas. Lumi and a little mouse discover that they can imagine different things together.

▤ 6 short pages▣ 3 pictures◷ 3 min
Start reading →
Lumi holds a small brass bell with a blue ribbon beside a garden stumpORIGINAL GROW & PLAY STORY
EARLY READER · AGES 5–7

Lumi and the Little Bell

Ring, ring! Lumi shares a little bell, then discovers a different song in the garden.

▤ 5 short pages▣ 3 pictures◷ 3 min
Start reading →
Lila the snail listens outside her warm bellflower cottage at sunsetORIGINAL GROW & PLAY STORY
BEDTIME STORY · AGES 4–8

Lila and the Garden Song

A small snail discovers that a bedtime song can be made of rustling leaves, one raindrop and a friend’s quiet voice.

▤ 8 gentle chapters▣ 4 pictures◷ 7 min
Read at bedtime →
Lumi stands in a cottage doorway with a yellow umbrella while rain falls in the gardenORIGINAL GROW & PLAY STORY
EARLY READER · AGES 5–7

Lumi and the Rain

One yellow umbrella. One kind rabbit. Room for two new friends.

▤ 6 short pages▣ 3 pictures◷ 3 min
Start reading →
Pip Finds a LightORIGINAL GROW & PLAY STORY
EARLY READER · AGES 5–7

Pip Finds a Light

A little mouse follows a warm glow and helps a new friend find the way home.

▤ 5 short pages▣ 2 pictures◷ 4 min
Start reading →
Fenn the fox sees a red kite caught in an apple treeORIGINAL GROW & PLAY STORY
EARLY READER · AGES 5–7

Fenn and the Red Kite

A young fox thinks, asks for help and brings a red kite back to the sky.

▤ 5 short pages▣ 3 pictures◷ 5 min
Start reading →
Juniper the owl notices an empty shelf in the moonlit oak libraryORIGINAL GROW & PLAY STORY
BEDTIME STORY · AGES 4–8

Juniper and the Empty Shelf

A little owl learns that the gentlest memories can fill a whole library.

▤ 8 quiet chapters▣ 4 pictures◷ 11 min
Read at bedtime →
Mara the rabbit discovers a glowing silver seed beside her burrow cottageORIGINAL GROW & PLAY STORY
BEDTIME STORY · AGES 4–8

Mara and the Moonseed Garden

A gentle tale about a silver seed, a slow traveler and the quiet kind of courage called patience.

▤ 8 calm chapters▣ 4 pictures◷ 10 min
Read at bedtime →

open story shelf

Read a classic.
Make it your own.

Three free classics from Project Gutenberg, each paired with a playful conversation starter.

PUBLIC DOMAIN · ENGLISH01

Aesop’s Fables

Short animal tales about choices, clever ideas and consequences.

TALK ABOUT ITCould the character make a kinder choice?
Read free ↗
PUBLIC DOMAIN · ENGLISH02

Grimm’s Fairy Tales

Old folk stories full of forests, unusual helpers and difficult decisions.

TALK ABOUT ITWhich part would you change in your version?
Read free ↗
PUBLIC DOMAIN · ENGLISH03

Mother Goose in Prose

Familiar rhymes expanded into curious little stories and characters.

TALK ABOUT ITCan you invent a new ending that rhymes?
Read free ↗

Project Gutenberg marks these editions as public domain in the USA. Check the law where you live before redistributing the original books.

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