Little Roos
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Stories to listen to

Six picture books for children to listen to, read aloud by Ruby Roo. They're longer than the Readers and full of rich words, and they stop to ask what your child thinks.

Ages 3–7 Listening, talking and new words Free, no sign-up
Start with Numbat Can't Sleep My word treasure

The six stories

StoryWhat it's aboutGold wordsSheet
Numbat Can't SleepTrying to get to sleeprestless, snug, drowsyWords to print
Frog Loses Her VoiceFeeling unwell, and restingcroak, whisper, soothingWords to print
Wombat's First DayA first day at schoolnervous, welcome, proudWords to print
Koala and the Tall TreeBeing brave, one step at a timeclamber, dizzy, courageWords to print
Cockatoo's Big FeastSharing with friendsplenty, feast, generousWords to print
Platypus and the StormFeeling safe in a stormrumble, shelter, drizzleWords to print

Stop and talk

Each story stops two or three times to ask a question, the way a grown-up reading aloud would: how a character feels, what might happen next, or something about your child's own life. There's no right answer and nothing is marked. When a story asks how someone feels, four faces help a child who hasn't found the word yet. The story waits for a tap on “Let's find out!”, so there's time to talk.

Some of the questions:

Play together

For each story: things to say or ask, and one way to take turns on one device. The same card is on each story's first screen, under Play together.

Numbat Can't Sleep

Things to say or ask

  • What helps you fall asleep?
  • Would hanging upside down work for you?
  • Let's take a slow, sleepy breath like Numbat.

Taking turns on one device: Take turns tapping Next. At each pause, the other player answers first.

Frog Loses Her Voice

Things to say or ask

  • Where do you think Frog's voice went?
  • Can you say 'croak' in a tiny voice? A big one?
  • Who helped Frog?

Taking turns on one device: Take turns tapping Next. On each page, the other player makes Frog's sound.

Wombat's First Day

Things to say or ask

  • How do you think Wombat felt at the gate?
  • What helps on a first day somewhere new?
  • Who would you play with?

Taking turns on one device: Take turns tapping Next. At each question, the one who didn't tap answers first.

Koala and the Tall Tree

Things to say or ask

  • One branch at a time: what's something you learned a bit at a time?
  • How do you think Little Koala felt at the top?
  • What helps you be brave?

Taking turns on one device: Take turns tapping Next, one page each, like one branch at a time.

Cockatoo's Big Feast

Things to say or ask

  • Why do you think Cockatoo wanted all the seeds?
  • How do you think Galah felt?
  • What would you have done?

Taking turns on one device: Take turns tapping Next. Whoever taps says what they think will happen on the next page.

Platypus and the Storm

Things to say or ask

  • What does a storm sound like? Let's make the rumble.
  • Where would you shelter?
  • Who was kind to Platypus?

Taking turns on one device: One player taps Next; the other makes the weather sounds. Swap halfway.

Make a Story

Things to say or ask

  • Who should be in our story?
  • What problem will they have? How will they fix it?
  • Which ending do you like best?

Taking turns on one device: Take turns choosing: one player picks the animal, the other the place, then the problem.

Word treasure

Each story has three gold words, chosen because they're rich, useful and a little bit new: restless, soothing, courage. Tap a gold word in the story to hear what it means. Every gold word your child meets is kept on My word treasure, with its picture and its line, to come back to. Each story's sheet has its three words to trace and talk about.

Make a story

Make a Story lets your child choose who a story is about (any of the 40 Little Roos animals), where it happens (one of the six places) and what goes wrong: getting lost, a rumbly tummy, being scared of the dark, or finding a friend. Ruby Roo tells the story, a page at a time, with each word lit as she reads it. On the last page your child chooses how it ends, from three drawn endings, or draws their own with a finger. That's 960 stories before the ending, and every one is checked to read aloud properly.

Each finished story is kept on your device under My stories (the twelve newest), and prints as a little eight-page book.

Folding the book

  1. Print the story on one A4 sheet, landscape. The top row prints upside down: that's right.
  2. Fold the sheet in half, short edge to short edge, and open it. Fold both short edges in to that middle crease, and open it again. You now have four columns.
  3. Fold it in half the long way, and open it. You now have two rows.
  4. Fold it in half short edge to short edge again. From the folded edge, cut along the middle crease between the rows, stopping at the next crease.
  5. Open it, then fold it in half the long way with the pictures outside. Push the two ends together so the cut opens out, and fold the pages round into a book, with the cover on the front.

Your child can write their name on the cover, and colour in the pictures.

Reading together

The stories turn their pages with a switch, a keyboard's arrow keys or a tap, and follow the settings on Ways to play.

What it practises

What it costs, and what we collect

Nothing, and nothing. Which stories have been heard, and which words found, is remembered on your own device and never sent anywhere.