bedheroBedtime stories for children aged 4 to 8
A new bedtime story every night, starring your child's own hero
Your child makes a hero once: a name, how they look, and the things they love. Each night bedhero writes a short story with pictures about that same hero. You read it first, then you read it together.
How it works
Make a hero
Choose a name, skin tone, hair and clothes, and a few favourite things: a colour, an animal, a food, a toy. The favourite animal becomes the hero's companion and comes back every night.
Choose tonight's story
Pick a setting, such as the woods, the sea or the stars, and a length: about 3, 5 or 8 minutes. bedhero writes the story and draws a picture for every page.
Read it first, then read it together
Every story waits for a grown-up to read it. You can change any words you like, then approve it. Approved stories go into your story book to read again.
What a story looks like
Two pages from Maya and the Moon's Missing Blanket, a short story set among the stars.
Read ten free bedtime stories — woods, sea, space, snow and garden adventures.
What bedhero does
- The same hero every night. The hero looks the same on every page and in every story, and the hero's companion comes back each night.
- Stories that remember. Tonight's story can mention last night's adventure, so the nights connect.
- Length and setting controls. Short, medium or long, in one of five calm settings.
- Parent review before reading. Nothing is read to a child until a grown-up has read it and approved it.
- A saved story book. Every approved story is kept, with how many times it has been read.
- Several heroes. One for each child, or a few for one child.
Safety
- Written for bedtime. Every sentence a story can use was written by a person for children aged 4 to 8. Nobody is ever in danger: something is lost, asleep or stuck, and kindness puts it right. Every story ends at home, in bed.
- Checked for age-appropriate content. Every story, and everything you type, such as a hero's name or your changes to a story, is checked for violence, swearing, adult content, drugs and alcohol, and contact details. A story that fails the check cannot be approved until it is fixed. Words that may be scary at bedtime, like "monster", are pointed out for you to decide.
- No photos of children. Heroes are drawn from choices, not from photos.
- No account needed. Without an account, heroes and stories stay on your device. If you create an account later, they move into it.
Join the waitlist
bedhero is not open yet. Leave your email and we will write to you when it is.
You're on the list
Thank you. We will email you when bedhero opens.
You can also try an early version now, without an account: make a hero.