mimico kids

English picture books for kids 4 and up

Picture books that get kids speaking English

Hear a short line, then say it right back.
Bite-size chunks make it easy, even on day one.

Listen to a story

Coming soon App Store · Google Play · Amazon Appstore

Two children open a big picture book, and fairy-tale characters such as the three little pigs, a tiger, a rabbit and the Gingerbread Man leap out of it

Demo

Hear it right here

Press a button to hear the model voice.
In Shadowing, there is a pause for "Your turn!" after each chunk, so you can say it out loud.

How it works

Hear it, copy it, and it sticks

Shadowing means echoing the English you hear, right after you hear it.
It is how many kids who speak well practice, without even noticing.

  1. Listen

    Hear the model voice in short chunks

  2. Copy

    On "Your turn!", copy it right away

  3. Say it out loud

    Join the chunks and say the whole sentence

English sounds run together

pick‿it‿up pi-ki-dup

"pick it up" sounds like "pi-ki-dup". This is called linking. We never split those sounds apart, so children pick up the natural rhythm of American English.

Sound hints

want to wan-na

When a word isn't said the way it's spelled, a small hint shows how it sounds.
Kids can copy what they hear, with the hint as a guide.

  • littleli-dl
  • need tonee-duh
  • made‿itmay-dit
  • want towan-na

In the app, hints appear in small letters above the words.

The bookshelf

Folk tales, and English for every day

New stories are added every month.

Folk tales

Classic tales told in English, and folk tales from Asia

  • The Three Little Pigs
  • Sima Guang Breaks the Jar
  • Kancil and the Tiger
  • Coming soon
    Momotaro, the Peach Boy
  • The Gingerbread Man
  • The Princess and the Pea
  • The Lion and the Mouse
  • The Little Red Hen
  • The Frog Prince
  • The Tortoise and the Hare
  • Goldilocks and the Three Bears
  • The Ugly Duckling

Everyday stories

Telling about an allergy, saying "No!", ordering food: phrases kids really use

  • Where Is the Restroom?
  • At the Burger Shop
  • I Can't Eat That
  • Tell the Teacher
  • Can I Play?
  • I Don't Feel Well
  • You Dropped This!
  • Where Is the Station?
  • Let's Make Up
  • Thank You!

These are just some of our stories.
The app currently includes 30.

Keeps kids going

Kids want to open it again

  • Just the right length

    • About 5〜10 pages a story, done in a few minutes
    • New stories every month
    • Watercolor
    • Paper-cut
    • Ink wash
    • Batik

    Fun to see and hear

    • A different art style for each story (watercolor, paper-cut, ink wash, batik)
    • A child's voice to copy, and in "Just listen", a different voice for every character

  • Progress they can see

    • A medal for every story finished
    • Word cards with pictures and sound
    • Compare your voice with the model

For parents

Safe to hand to your child

  • No ads, no trackingNo usage analytics either
  • Recordings stay on the deviceThey are never uploaded
  • Purchases and settings sit behind a parent gateKids can't change them by accident
  • Translations in 7 languagesOr none at all, if you prefer
  • All American EnglishPronunciation and spelling stay the same across stories
  • No account neededNo email or real name; the nickname stays on the device

Why we made it

I moved my kids abroad, and their English started from zero.
Shadowing was the best way to learn, but I couldn't find a good one for kids. So I made one.

Read more on note (in Japanese).

Start with one story

Some stories are free to read.

Listen to the demo

Coming soon App Store · Google Play · Amazon Appstore