StorySparkle

Many children learning English have nobody at home who can read English aloud to them. StorySparkle is that voice — and a face to watch.

Every story is narrated in neutral UK English, and the narrator is on screen: not a bouncing ball, but a mouth. Lips, teeth, tongue. Because "listen and repeat" only works if there is somebody to repeat after. Press play and the words light up with the voice; press the turtle and voice, video and highlighting slow together.

Tap any word to hear it alone and read what it means in the language your child thinks in — kept with the sentence it came from, because a bare word is just a flashcard.

Nothing here is levelled by guesswork. Our SESL© engine takes a hundred-plus measurements of a text and maps it to CEFR. It levels the library, fixes a Story Maker story's vocabulary and length before a word is written, and powers a free Text Checker that grades anything you paste in.

For children aged 5–15.

Start free: storysparkle.org