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Read a book we made, in English

Before you spend $9.99 on a book you have not read, read one. Below is a book this service made — the cover and all 9 story spreads. It was written in English from the first draft, and the words you see printed on the artwork are the words we set onto the page. These are the finished pages as we would send them to you: nothing has been re-lettered, touched up, or swapped for a nicer picture to put on this page.

Buy the digital book — $9.99

Digital PDF · Upload two or three photos right after checkout · Delivered within 7 business days or your money back

Flip through it

Drag a corner, or click the edge of a page, to turn it. This is the whole book — the cover, then all 9 spreads in the order a child would meet them. It is the same book that is set out further down this page, one spread at a time, with every word written out underneath: the pages below are there so you can read them at any size, and so a screen reader can read them out loud. Turning the pages here is just the fastest way to see how the book feels in the hand.

The cover

The title reads Ellie's Brave Little Way. It is not a translation of a Japanese book. The story was written in English, the title came out in English, and the type you see on the cover is the same type that gets set into the PDF you would receive. We do make these books in Japan — that is where the service started — but an English order is written and typeset in English from the very first draft.

Cover of Ellie's Brave Little Way: Ellie walking up a tree-lined street while two bigger kids run on ahead of her

The story, spread by spread

Each block below is one spread — two pages side by side, the way a child sees them when the book is open flat. The words are printed on the artwork, and set out again underneath so you can read them at any size, and so a screen reader can read them out loud. This is how much text lands on one spread, and this is how it actually reads aloud. 9 spreads is the whole story: it starts here and it ends here, with nothing skipped in between.

Ellie walking alone up a sunny suburban sidewalk, looking downcast, while two taller kids run far ahead of her
Spread 1 of 9 — what this page saysEllie was very small. She was the smallest kid on her street.She was always last. It made her sad.
Ellie running up the street with one arm out, calling after the bigger kids disappearing into the distance
Spread 2 of 9 — what this page saysThe big kids ran to the park. Ellie tried to run fast, too.But her legs were short. 'Wait for me!' she cried.
Ellie standing in her lit doorway at night, looking up at a dark sky split by lightning
Spread 3 of 9 — what this page saysThat night, a big summer storm came. Boom went the dark sky!All the lights in the house went out.
Ellie looking up at her elderly neighbor Mrs. Lane, who holds her hands to her chest in worry
Spread 4 of 9 — what this page saysIn the morning, the storm was gone. But Pip the cat was missing.Mrs. Lane was very sad. 'Where is Pip?'
Ellie crouched beside an old wooden porch, cupping one hand to her ear toward the dark gap underneath
Spread 5 of 9 — what this page saysEllie walked near the old wooden porch. She heard a tiny sound.'Meow!' Pip was hiding in the dark hole below.
A bigger boy wedged head-first into the gap under the porch, unable to fit, while Ellie stands beside him thinking
Spread 6 of 9 — what this page saysThe big kids tried to reach inside. But they were too big.They could not squeeze in. Who could save Pip?
Ellie on her hands and knees, crawling into the dark space under the porch with a shaft of daylight behind her
Spread 7 of 9 — what this page saysEllie took a deep breath. 'I can do it!' she said.She was small enough. She crawled into the dark.
Ellie in the dusty half-dark under the porch, holding an orange tabby kitten against her sweater
Spread 8 of 9 — what this page saysIt was dusty and dark. Ellie saw two bright eyes.She gently took Pip in her arms. 'You are safe now.'
Ellie back out on the sidewalk holding Pip while three kids clap and cheer around her
Spread 9 of 9 — what this page saysEllie crawled out with Pip. All the kids clapped and cheered.Ellie smiled. Being small was her own kind of brave.

That is the whole story. The printed book also carries a title page and a credits page, which we have left off this screen. The next section is about the one thing this book does not have, which is your child in it.

What is different about the one we make for you

  • Your kid, not ours. Ellie is invented. She is five years old, and no photographs went into her — we made her up so we would have something honest to show you. Your book starts from the two or three photos you upload on the page right after checkout (or email to info@kater.jp if you prefer): the character is drawn from them, your child’s name is in the words, and the story is pitched at their age.
  • The same length. 24 pages, cover to cover — the same 9 spreads you just read through (18 pages), the 4 pages of the cover, and a title page and a credits page we have not put on this screen. The book above is not a sample cut short.
  • A print-ready PDF, yours to keep. In your inbox within 7 business days, or we refund you in full. Read it on a tablet, or print it as many times as you like.

The way it gets made is the same as it was for this one: the AI writes the first draft of the story and the first pass of the art, and then a person rewrites the words, checks every page against what you told us, and throws out art that came out wrong. That last part is not a figure of speech — one spread in the book above was drawn twice, because the first attempt drew Ellie with her body in two pieces. We have written out exactly where the machine stops.

Related pages

  • Pricing — what $9.99 covers, and why there is no hardcover price
  • How it works — the four steps, and what to send us after you buy
  • FAQ — the questions people ask before they order
Buy the digital book — $9.99

Digital PDF · Upload two or three photos right after checkout · Delivered within 7 business days or your money back