A starting school story where the new pupil is your child.
An illustrated first day at school story with your child's name and face. Read it together a few times before the big day — on a phone at bedtime, or on the TV, where the whole family can see it.
A starting school story — what you get
What the story shows, how to use it and what we don't promise.
What you get
- A story in which your child is the one starting school: their name and face, a tummy full of nerves and one clue — the right classroom has an owl painted on the door.
- A new friend early on: in a corridor of doors that all look the same, your child meets someone just as worried, and they look for the owl together.
- Other firsts, too: a new baby in the family, a first trip to the dentist or a first night in their own room. Describe the situation in a few sentences and the story is built around it.
- Story time on the big screen: put the story on the TV or a projector and talk about each picture as you go.
- Narration by a narrator or in your own voice, recreated by a digital voice model, with the text following along on screen.
What we don't promise
- A story helps your child picture the day and gives you both something to talk about. It doesn't replace support from the school or a specialist when worries don't settle.
How a starting school story is made
Add your child.
Type their name and create a hero who looks like them — from a few chosen features or from a photo.
Open “First Day at School”.
Start from this page and the story opens straight away. You choose who walks your child to the school gate, and the story is written and illustrated in a few minutes.
Read it before the big day.
Read it together a few times in the week before school starts, on a phone or on the TV. A narrator or your own voice can read it aloud.
The story stays in your library — read it again the night before, or after the first day, to talk about how it went.
Getting ready for the first day
What to talk about, what to practise and how to make the first morning easier.
Guide for parents
Questions about starting school stories
Partly. The hero has your child's name and face, and you choose who walks them to school. The classroom with the owl on the door is part of the story; to tell the story of your own school, describe it in a few sentences and create your own.
No. Starting school has a ready-made story. For a new baby, a first trip to the dentist or any other first, describe the situation in a few sentences — the story is built around your description, with your child as the hero.
Yes. Record two short samples in the app and a digital voice model reads the story in your voice, with the text following along on screen. A narrator is there too. Every narration is labelled as synthetic speech.
No story can promise that. It shows what the day may look like and that it is fine to feel nervous, and it gives you an easy way to talk about it. If worries carry on after the first weeks, talk to your child's teacher.
A first day story for your child
Start with a hero who has your child's name. “First Day at School” opens next, and the story stays in your library.