How a Talebrix book is made
A child aged 3–8 and a grown-up say a story idea out loud. The machine asks a handful of questions, the same ones in the same order, on its 7-inch colour touch panel, and the story is written and painted from what they said. The cover appears on the screen, one press of the red button prints it, and a 26-page picture book, 148 × 210 mm, comes out of the slot at the front with the child named as the author.
Last checked 5 November 2026 by Tom McDonough, Co-Founder and CTO
Talebrix is not on sale yet, and production is targeted for June 2027. This page describes the design. Every picture on it is drawn from that design and from a written example book, not photographed.
Step by step
Step 1
Say the idea
Press the red button and say what the story is about, then press it again. A grown-up can help. A child can say a lot or a little.
On the screen Listening
The machine only speaks to ask its next question. It never says the idea back.
Step 2
Answer the questions
The screen asks a handful of questions, one at a time, each beside three small paintings. Press the button and say the answer. Whatever the idea already said is kept.
On the screen Who is the story about?
The questions are the same, in the same order, and they come to an end. The machine does not chat.
Step 3
The story is written
The story is written from the idea and the answers, at the reading level a grown-up set for the child, and the pictures are painted to match. Anything left out is filled in. Nothing the child said is written over.
On the screen Your story is being written
About as long as brushing your teeth, as the screen puts it.
Step 4
The cover is shown
The finished cover appears on the screen. Nothing is printed until the red button is pressed.
On the screen Press the button to print it
The child's name is on the cover as the author.
Step 5
The book is printed
The book is printed page by page into a blank book that is already bound, which a grown-up loads through the slot at the front.
On the screen Making your book
148 × 210 mm, 26 pages. Pre-bound blank books made with 250gsm smooth paper.
Step 6
Read it together
The finished book comes out of the same slot. It is theirs to keep.
On the screen Time to read it together
Material for 4 books comes in the box. A Story Pack of 4 more is £15.
The parts of a story
The questions are for the parts every story needs: who it is about, where it happens, what kind of story, who comes along and what happens. They are asked in that order, and they come to an end.
Grown-up Who’s still awake when we go to bed?
Child Owls. And bats. Hedgehog too. He’s little. Maybe he gets lost.
- 1Who it is aboutWho is the story about?Owlalready in the idea
- 2Where it happensWhere does it happen?the wood, at nightalready in the idea
- 3What kind of storyWhat kind of story is it?a gentle rhyming story
- 4Who comes alongWho comes along?Bat, Fox and a little Hedgehogalready in the idea
- 5What happensWhat happens?Hedgehog is lost and is helped homealready in the idea
Child We found loads of conkers. I tried counting them but Dad moved the bag. Can the fox get three hundred? That’s loads. And one’s hiding somewhere, but he doesn’t know where.
- 1Who it is aboutWho is the story about?Foxalready in the idea
- 2Where it happensWhere does it happen?under the horse-chestnut tree
- 3What kind of storyWhat kind of story is it?an autumn adventure
- 4Who comes alongWho comes along?Mouse, with a useful idea
- 5What happensWhat happens?three hundred conkers, and one is hidingalready in the idea
What the screen shows
The screen shows one question at a time beside three small paintings, with what to press underneath. While somebody speaks it repeats the question and says it is listening. There is no feed, no game and nothing to scroll.
The picture in words
The question “Who is the story about?” at the top. Under it, three small paintings to touch: an owl, a bat, a hedgehog. Under those, in small grey letters: anyone or anything, press the button, then say it. Nothing else is on the screen.
The picture in words
The question “Who is the story about?” at the top. Under it, three small paintings to touch: a fox, a mouse, a badger. Under those, in small grey letters: anyone or anything, press the button, then say it. Nothing else is on the screen.
Who decides what
The child and the grown-up
- the idea, in their own words
- as much of each part of the story as they want to say
- when to press the button
- which child is the author
Talebrix
- asks the questions, in order
- writes the story at the child's reading level
- paints the pictures to match the words
- fills in whatever was left out
- prints the book
The machine has no name, no character and no voice of its own, and it never says “I”. It will not write over something the child decided.
The book that comes out
What comes out is a picture book: the cover with the child's name on it, and 26 pages of words and pictures, 148 × 210 mm, 296 × 210 mm when it lies open.
The picture in words
A white cover. The Talebrix logo at the top, then the title, Who Is Awake at Night, in two colours. A yellow ribbon reads “Made by Zara”, and the picture fills the lower half.
The picture in words
A white cover. The Talebrix logo at the top, then the title, Three Hundred Conkers, in two colours. A yellow ribbon reads “Made by Oscar”, and the picture fills the lower half.
The picture in words
One picture across both pages, with the words of the story set in the sky at the top of each page. a: The words, set in the sky at the top of each page. b: The picture, painted edge to edge across both pages. c: The fold down the middle of the book. d: One page, 148 × 210 mm. e: The book open, 296 × 210 mm.
The picture in words
One picture across both pages, with the words of the story set in the sky at the top of each page. a: The words, set in the sky at the top of each page. b: The picture, painted edge to edge across both pages. c: The fold down the middle of the book. d: One page, 148 × 210 mm. e: The book open, 296 × 210 mm.
- The words, set in the sky at the top of each page
- The picture, painted edge to edge across both pages
- The fold down the middle of the book
- One page, 148 × 210 mm
- The book open, 296 × 210 mm
| Page size | 148 × 210 mm |
|---|---|
| Open | 296 × 210 mm |
| Pages | 26 |
| Paper | Pre-bound blank books made with 250gsm smooth paper |
| Screen | 7-inch colour touch panel |
| Ages | 3–8 |
| In the box | Material for 4 books |
| Story Pack | 4 more books, £15 (target launch price) |
Questions families ask
- Is my child really writing the book, or is Talebrix?
- The machine does the writing and the drawing, and it has no story of its own to start from — so the book is made of what your child said and nothing that existed beforehand. What it is about, who is in it, where it happens, what goes wrong, how it ends, what it is called: they decide as much of that as they want to, and a four year old often says “a dragon one” and stops, in which case it writes the rest. What it will not do is write over something they did decide. That is the honest division of labour, and we would rather say it here than have you find it out afterwards.
- How long does a book take to make?
- We are aiming for a finished book in a few minutes. We have printed onto the book paper as a test, but the machine has not yet made a whole book from start to finish. We will say how long it really takes before launch.
- Does my child need an app or an account?
- No app or account is needed for the child. A parent sets up the device and its reading profiles. Children speak their ideas and choose between options on the touchscreen; the finished story is read as a printed book.
- What ages is Talebrix for?
- Designed for children aged 3–8. Younger children can take part with a parent leading the activity. The reading examples include ages 1–2 for shared reading; they are not a claim that toddlers can operate the device independently.
- What is a Talebrix book made of?
- The planned format is a 26-page 148 × 210 mm portrait book using pre-bound blank books made with 250gsm smooth paper, printed page by page. The book itself is the same at every age; what changes with the reading level is the words, and how many there are on a page. We have not yet checked how well it stands up to months of bedtimes.
- Is Talebrix a screen, then?
- It has a 7-inch colour touch panel for choosing between story options. There is no scrolling feed. The finished story is read as a printed book.
How this page is kept true
Every number on this page is read from the same facts the rest of the site uses, and every picture is drawn in code from those facts and the example book. When a fact changes, the words and the pictures change with it. The date at the top changes only when a person has read the page against the product.
- First published.
The drawings use Who Is Awake at Night by default, one of the written example books on the shelf.