MarytaleRead in Marytale

Bedtime stories to read to your child

Illustrated stories, free to read here — and the same ones as a picture book in the app.

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What you get without installing anything

Every story on this site opens in the browser, illustrated, with no account and no card.

  • Read tonightPick a story, open it, read it. Nothing to install and nothing to sign up for.
  • See the length firstThe reading time is printed under every title, so you can match the story to the night you actually have.

Marytale's own stories, written for us and illustrated page by page.

Why parents keep it

The things that turn out to matter at nine in the evening.

  • A picture on every pageNot one illustration for the whole story — a new one each time you turn.
  • Works with no internetIn the car, on a plane, at grandma's house where the wifi never worked.
  • No adsNothing interrupts a story, and nothing tries to sell anything to a child.
  • The bookmark stays putRight where your child fell asleep, even if that was four nights ago.
  • Nothing to sign up forNo account, no email, no password to lose.
  • Reading time on every storySo you can pick a five-minute one when bedtime has already gone wrong.
  • Built for handing overYou can give a child the phone without wondering what they will find.

How it works

  1. Pick a storyBy stage, by length, or by whatever the child points at.
  2. Read it hereIn the browser, illustrated, free.
  3. Or open it in the appWhere it works offline and keeps your place.

The whole library

Seventy-two illustrated stories, for preschool through first grade.

Read a story now

Questions parents ask

  • Is it really free?

    The site is free to read, with no account and no card. The app has a subscription for the full library; what you read here you read for nothing.

  • What ages is it for?

    Preschool through first grade — roughly two to eight. Each story shows its stage and its reading time.

  • Are there ads?

    No. Not on the site and not in the app. Nothing interrupts a story.

  • Do I need the app?

    No. Everything on this site reads in a browser. The app is for offline, and for keeping your place.

We do not ask children for anything, and there is nothing to sign in to. What the site and the app store is written out in full in the privacy policy. Privacy

One story before bed

Pick one, read it, and see how it goes. Nothing to install first.

Get Marytale