Exploritori Stories: Free Interactive Classic Tales for Young Children (Beta)
We've been working on something a little different from our usual guides, and today it's ready for you to try. Exploritori Stories is a small shelf of illustrated classic tales that you read together with your child. You can listen, tap and discover things along the way. Three books are free, and you don't need an account.
It's a Beta, so it isn't finished yet. But the books are there, and we'd love you to read them.
Why we built Exploritori Stories
Most "story apps" for young children are loud. They flash, they reward every tap, and they rush on to the next thing. Montessori asks for almost the opposite: real images, a calm pace, and an adult close by.
So we tried to build a storybook that behaves like a good picture book. Each page is one painted scene with a short passage of text. Nothing pops up to grab attention. You turn the page when you're ready.
How a story works: read, tap, discover
Every book has eight pages. On each page you can:
- Read the passage aloud yourself, or switch on narration and follow along.
- Tap one thing in the scene, like a door, a bean or a teapot, and watch a small, gentle change.
- Discover words and little collectibles as you go.
The reader saves your place, so a story can stretch over two or three bedtimes if that suits your child better.
The three free books on the shelf
The Three Little Pigs. Three pigs, three houses, and a gusty wolf who never gets his dinner. It's a good first book for younger listeners, and the building scenes are lovely to talk about.
Jack and the Beanstalk. Magic beans, a very tall climb and a castle in the clouds. It's a little longer, with lots to spot on every page.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. We tell Alice in eight short pages: the rabbit hole, the tiny door, the tea party and the Queen's garden. It's best for slightly older children who enjoy a bit of nonsense.
After the story: activities away from the screen
Each book ends with a short "after reading" idea. Some are things to do with your hands once the tablet is put away. Others are just questions to talk over together:
- The Three Little Pigs: "What could you make for the pigs with blocks, paper, or cushions?"
- Jack and the Beanstalk: "Imagine what else might be above the clouds. Tell a new part of Jack's adventure, or draw a beanstalk with a surprising place at the top."
- Alice: "Choose your favorite puzzling moment. What would you ask the Rabbit or the Hatter? You could invent a tiny door and draw the place you would find beyond it."
That last step matters most to us. The story is a starting point, and the real learning happens in the play that comes after. For more ideas, our Montessori language activities for toddlers pair nicely with story time.
Screens, the Montessori way
We know a reading app on a screen is still a screen. Our view hasn't changed since we wrote our honest guide to Montessori and screen time: keep it short, sit together, choose calm content and protect the transition back to real life.
Exploritori Stories was designed with those rules in mind. There are no timers, no streaks and no autoplay into the next book. When the story ends, it ends.
Languages: what's available today
The books are in English for now. The Three Little Pigs can also be read in Brazilian Portuguese and Spanish from Spain. Jack and Alice are English only at the moment. We're working on more translations and will share them when they're ready.
It's a Beta: tell us what you think
You may spot rough edges, especially on older phones. If something feels slow, confusing or just not right for your child, we'd like to know. These books are a first version. We'll keep improving them, polishing the scenes, adding new things to tap and discover, and making each one a little better, and what you tell us helps shape that.
What's coming next
More classic tales are on the way. Bookmark the bookshelf, and look out for a gentle, not-scary Halloween story on 28 October.
New to Montessori? Start with what Montessori actually is, or see our Montessori toys by age guide for hands-on ideas to go with the books.
Get weekly Montessori tips
Honest reviews, activity ideas, and budget-friendly picks — no spam, just what works.
Subscribe Free