The new stories that digital storytellers will tell for Christmas

• As the end-of-year celebrations approach, digital storytellers are crowding the shelves.

• Appreciated by the parents of the youngest, these little devices that tell stories are being renewed.

• This year, storytellers Fabulapin, StoryPhones, HoomKid and Bookinou also want to join Santa's basket.

Once upon a time… digital storytellers!

We knew Faba, Yoyo Player, My Story Factory, Ocarina, Merlin… so many small devices that all have in common the fact of telling stories to children, and that we tested last year.

With the approach of the next Christmas holidays, new models are vying for the spotlight: Fabulapin, StoryPhones, HoomKid, or even Bookinou.

How do digital storytellers stand out, vintage 2022?

And how to choose them?

Can they also give children a taste for reading?

listened to what they had to tell them.

Fabulapin: the night light to make the little ones dream

With his good little face and his very soft ears (in food grade silicone), Fabulapin was designed by a Frenchman (Erwan Leroux).

Its rabbit-shaped MP3 player integrates music and stories.

In total, 87 titles (in partnership with Bayard Jeunesse and CRTS Records) are accessible, in its quite varied registers, often musical.

It is also possible to personalize the bunny with its own music, stories or nursery rhymes, from a computer, by connecting it via USB and copying/dropping audio files.

The LCD screen on the front and the various keys make it very intuitive to use.

The bunny's head and color-changing ears can be turned on, turning the bunny into a gentle night light.

From 3 years old,

Our opinion:

Well designed, without waves in a child's room, Fabulapin offers random or preselected readings (the 87 titles included represent 2h30 of listening time, but you can go further using its 8 microSD card Go integrated).

We will recommend this storyteller to the little ones, especially to take up some classic children's songs.

Quickly, the child will be able to use Fabulapin alone, its handling gradually becoming intuitive.

The listening time is customizable using a timer (from 5 to 45 minutes).

Note, a very good sound quality for this type of equipment.

Battery operated, its autonomy can reach 5 hours in audio mode and 11 hours in sleep mode.

StoryPhones: The headphones that perpetuate the Disney magic

Your child is a Disney fan and constantly asks you for the story of

 ?

ONAOFF's StoryPhones headset will tell her and many more!

Acting as a Bluetooth/wired headset (with a battery life of up to 20 hours), StoryPhones can be personalized mainly using small magnetic discs to be affixed to one of the earpieces.

Each disc has a series of stories:

,

, etc. These will be automatically downloaded to the headset (which can be used offline, without connection).

An application also allows you to record your own stories (up to 120 minutes), to then be hosted on a “PlayShield” (a small customizable disc sold for 14.99 euros).

From 3 years,

Our opinion :

Available in blue and pink with a first Disney disc (but also in gray or white, with a customizable disc), these supra-aural headphones (its pads rest on the ears, but do not cover them) are well made and comfortable.

Problem: if the stories available on the small magnetic disks on the helmet are indeed in French, the StoryPhones environment remains in English for the moment: application, website.

Hence an access that is not necessarily always easy for parents who do not speak the language of Shakespeare!

Information taken, the translation into French would be in progress... Finally, the addition of small discs can quickly increase the bill... like the one that allows you to personalize your own stories, sold for 14.99 euros anyway (when you buy the Disney version helmet)!

HoomKid: The storyteller who helps control your emotions

Launched by Livab, the storyteller Hoomkid stands out for its approach that goes far beyond simple audio reading.

By choosing a mode (Calm or Awakening, for relaxing or energizing activities), then a color corresponding to an emotion (Joy, Sadness, Self-confidence, Serenity, Fear, Anger) the child will be able to focus on a story like "Breathe like a dolphin", or "Solid like a mountain", which will help stimulate their curiosity, reduce their anxieties, and even calm them down.

Designed by its specialists in child psychology, the device, in the form of a book, offers its listener a journey through playful and immersive stories, lasting four to twenty minutes.

From 3 years old,

Our opinion:

The idea of ​​the storyteller Hoomkid is benevolent: to help the child to control his emotions.

If he will probably need mom or dad to guide him without his first listening choices (the color wheel corresponding to the emotions deserves some explanation), the 96 finely chosen stories (with male or female voice), illustrated with sound effects and music, are undeniably good.

They also invite, sometimes to soothing moments of meditation… and even to small sessions of yoya to associate the body with the spirit!

Provided, a printed Parent's Guide offers some keys to getting started.

Bookinou: The audio book that makes paper speak

Bookinou is a new kind of storyteller.

It combines the pleasure of the audio book but also that of reading physical books.

Its principle is simple: if it is possible to associate it with stories to buy on the manufacturer's site, its vocation is first to pair the device with your children's favorite printed books.

For this, an application allows you to record the story you will read, then identify the book with a self-adhesive sticker (RFID chip).

From then on, the child will only have to put the sticker on the little heart on the front of Bookinou so that your story is read to him, while allowing him to follow it by turning the pages of his book.

From 4 years old,

Our opinion:

In the age of all screens, we can only welcome any initiative aimed at preserving the printed book!

Recommended by the Ministry of National Education and Youth, Bookinou (supplied with 10 stickers and a travel card containing all the recorded stories) succeeds in this bet with a small complete device, easy to access and use.

The possibility of remotely associating family members who will be able to record stories, to embellish these recordings with sound effects (including that of the pages which turn) is a real plus.

Even far away, grandpa and grandma can also read stories!

If not given, an optional subscription system (a new audio story every Wednesday for 9.99 euros/month; an audio story every Wednesday and a surprise book every month from 14.90 euros/month ) allows you to create a real reading ritual, stimulate curiosity, and expand your child's library!

high tech

Digital storytellers: "Mirror, mirror, which one tells the best stories?"

»

Culture

Lunii, Tonies, "A story and Oli"... How are audio stories for children designed?

• high tech

• 20 minute video

• Christmas presents

• Christmas

• Digital book

• Youth