We absolutely love reading in our household and Sofia has found a real love for it since starting school last year, so we were thrilled to be asked to review the Lunii My Fabulous Storyteller – a portable, storytelling device which puts the kids in control.

What is the My Fabulous Storyteller?

The My Fabulous Storyteller is a fun and interactive spoken book which enables children to choose different elements of their story.
They get to pick the hero of the ‘book’, the secondary character, the setting where the story takes place [a castle, the beach or in a forest] and who they might want their character to meet on their travels [a mermaid, a pirate, an ogre] and lastly, an object which will feature in the story too.
Once all selections have been made the story begins!

Who is the My Fabulous Storyteller suitable for?

Lunii suggest the perfect age for this nifty little device is between the ages of 3-10 years. I would say Sofia is a perfect age for it now; I’m unsure if it would hold her attention in a few years time.
The blue and yellow design is not only super stylish, but it’s not too clunky or heavy to carry around – or operate. Sofia at five carried it around on days out like it was a fashion accessory, and Arlo at two was able to easily clasp it between his pudgy little hands.
Sofia found the My Fabulous Storyteller really easy to use by herself, giving her a real sense of ‘grown up’. It is pretty foolproof – there’s a big green dial which you turn to start it up (this also controls the volume), a big ‘OK’ button to confirm selection and a further button to allow scrolling through story choices.

Can you buy additional stories for the My Fabulous Storyteller?

It comes pre-loaded with 48 stories but there’s a whole digital library available if you wish to purchase more. The My Fabulous Storyteller can hold up to 160 stories with each story lasting between 3-8 minutes.
Albums are priced from £3-£20 with a total of 6-48 stories per album.
Is your little one bilingual or learning a language? The story albums are available in a range of languages including French, English (British and US), Italian, Spanish, Russian, German and Dutch.

What did we think of the My Fabulous Storyteller?

We loved the hybrid feel of a traditional book crossed with the technology element of it being audible. It’s a real breath of fresh air for the kids to be entertained on their travels without being glued to a phone or staring at a screen.
The beauty of it is that the kids can listen via the unit or by plugging headphones in for a bit of peace and quiet. It was the first time Sofia had worn in-ear headphones and she looked like she was being transported into the story in her own little bubble.
The voices are much more pleasant than the whiny American voices we usually hear blaring from Sofia’s tablet, so we were more than happy to let her play it out of the device!
Being responsible for how the story unfolds definitely helps to keep Sofia’s attention as she can’t wait to hear what part will come next or where her chosen elements will appear in the story.
So far, we’ve used our My Fabulous Storyteller at home and when travelling out and about in the car (…think of it as a kids podcast!) – they even took it to the zoo with them.
We will be taking it on our summer holiday with us too, for those moments when they need to come in from the sun and chill, but aren’t quite ready to give in and sleep!

What is the battery life like on a My Fabulous Storyteller?

We’ve been testing it out for a good few days now and so far, so good – we haven’t had to recharge it. The beauty of the device is that it will automatically put itself into Standby mode after five minutes of inactivity which is perfect for conserving power…and disappointed faces when they realise it’s run out of charge.
It is easily charged via a micro USB lead so it can be given a bit of life at home or whilst out and about in the car.

Where can you buy a My Fabulous Storyteller?

You can purchase the My Fabulous Storyteller for around £54, which includes 48 preloaded stories following the adventures of Ben and Suzanne.
Once purchased, that’s all you need. Unless you wish to purchase more stories. Additional stories can be downloaded through Luniistore, the digital library – where you will find a range of stories from quiet and chilled to lively and adventurous.
You can shop the My Fabulous Storyteller on Amazon.

Lunii is a French company, created by four friends with one shared goal –  ‘to keep children away from screens‘ and I absolutely love the ethos behind this.
We are literally surrounded by screens day in-day out, so to have a piece of ‘technology’ which kids love playing with without them staring mindlessly at a screen is always welcome in our household!
In summary, the Lunii My Fabulous Storyteller really encourages little ones imaginations and makes reading interactive and fun. It won’t ever replace our bedtime story but it certainly adds an additional ‘treat’ element to it. The front ‘screen’ lights up with a soothing, gentle light displaying a silhouette of what the story is about, which doubles up as a lovely little night light if they do choose to use it as a bit of a sleep aid before they hit the hay.

Want to see what books Sofia was loving at four? You can find out here.