About My Story: the storybook maker for kids 5 to 11

Quick facts

The short version

What it is: A picture book maker for children. Kids write the words, draw the pictures and record themselves reading each page aloud.
Ages: Made for kids 5 to 11. Pre-readers can tell a story with pictures and their own voice, and younger siblings can join in with a grown-up.
Where it works: Any modern web browser on a Chromebook, Mac or PC, with nothing to install. An app for iPad and iPhone (iOS and iPadOS 17.6 or later). There is no Android app in Google Play, but the web version runs in a modern browser.
Price: Free to make and share books. Optional extras are paid: Story Sparks, which power the AI Magic tools, and printed books. A grown-up check comes before any purchase.
Ads: None. No banners, pop-ups or tracking ads, and we never sell personal information.
Accounts: On the web, a grown-up creates the account and adds an author profile for each child. On iPad and iPhone an account is optional, and the app works offline.
Printing: Any book can be ordered as a printed picture book: square (8.5 × 8.5 in), landscape (11 × 8.5 in) or portrait (8.5 × 11 in), in softcover or hardcover. The full price is shown before you pay.
Schools: Teachers can use the free web version today, with an author profile for each student. A School Edition for Chromebook classrooms, with a teacher dashboard and per-teacher plans, is in development.
Made by: My Story, LLC. Families and teachers have made books with My Story since 2011: more than 3.3 million downloads by families and schools, and millions of books made.

What kids make

A real book, from first idea to print

Write and draw

Every page has drawing tools, story text, photos, stickers, characters and backgrounds. Hundreds of characters and story starters help when the page is blank.

Narrate

Kids record themselves reading each page, re-record until it's right, and add a soundtrack. Books play back like a movie, with voice, music and page turns.

Share or print

Share a book with a link, export it as a PDF or video, publish it to the moderated Community Library, or order a printed copy.

How it compares

How My Story differs from other kids' story apps

Kids' story apps tend to do one of a few jobs. Here is where My Story fits.

AI story generators

Apps that write a whole story from a prompt make the AI the author. In My Story the child is the author: they write, draw and narrate. AI Magic tools are optional helpers, and a grown-up can switch each one off.

Reading and e-book apps

Reading apps are for reading books other people wrote. My Story is for making books, though it also has a free Community Library of stories, including picture books our team made.

Drawing apps

General drawing apps make single pictures. My Story is built around a whole book: pages, words, the child's recorded voice, a soundtrack, and a printed copy at the end.

Personalized storybooks

Personalized books are written for a child. Books made in My Story are written by the child. We are also building Hero Books, illustrated books with your child as the hero, which aren't available yet.

Safety & privacy

Made for kids, with grown-ups in charge

Only adults can create an account on the web. Children are never asked for an email address, phone number or full name.
Books are private unless a grown-up shares them. There are no direct messages, friend lists or public profiles.
Stories published to the Community Library are reviewed by our team first and shown under a made-up pen name.
What a child types into a Magic tool is checked before anything is made. We never use children's stories, drawings, photos or recordings to train AI.
We operate in line with the U.S. Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). We don't claim any third-party certification.
A grown-up can export every book, or delete the account and everything in it, from Settings.

How we keep kids safe · Privacy policy

Questions

Common questions

Is My Story an AI story generator?

No. Kids write, draw and narrate their own books. Optional Magic tools use AI to help with pictures, pages, animation, characters, narration and music. They use Story Sparks, and a grown-up can switch each one off in Settings.

How much does My Story cost?

Making and sharing books is free, with no ads. Story Sparks for the Magic tools and printed books are optional and paid, and each shows its price before you buy. Purchases in the iPad and iPhone app go through the App Store.

Does My Story work on Chromebooks?

Yes. My Story runs in any modern browser on a Chromebook, Mac or PC, with a mouse or a touchscreen, and there is nothing to install. More about the web version.

Is there an Android app?

My Story isn't in Google Play. It works in any modern web browser, and the free app is available for iPad and iPhone.

Can my child use My Story without being able to read or write?

Yes. Pre-readers tell their story with pictures, stickers and their own recorded voice, and a grown-up can help with the words.

Do books sync between the web and the iPad app?

Yes. Sign in to the same My Story account on the web and in the iPad or iPhone app, and your books stay in sync.

Is there a version for schools?

Teachers can use the free web version in class today, with an author profile for each student. A School Edition for Chromebook classrooms, priced per teacher with site licenses for schools and districts, is in development. Join the waitlist.

Ready to make their first book?

It's free to start, and there are no ads.

Start your first book free

My Story at a glance