personalised stories
How we check every personalised story before your child reads it
Every Fabliko story is checked against the rules of one book band or reading level and approved by a person. What to look for, and how we do it.
Jeanine Saunders · October 9, 2026 · 5 min read
By the time a Fabliko story reaches your child, it meets the rules of one reading level and a person has read and approved it. You never send us a photo of your child. Fabliko makes short reading stories with your child as the hero, pitched at their reading level (UK book bands, US guided reading levels or Dutch AVI). You read them together on screen or print one at home as a loo (bathroom) poster, and Fabliko Plus adds a fold-up booklet and word cards.
What to ask before your child reads a personalised story
Putting a name in a story takes seconds, so ask any site or app these questions instead:
- Has a person read it? We read and approve every Fabliko story before it goes online.
- Is it pitched at your child’s level? We write every story for one reading level, then test it against that level.
- Does something actually happen? A proper story has your child wanting something, hitting a problem and solving it.
- What are you asked to share? With us, a first name. No photo, no surname.
How can you tell a story suits your child’s book band?
Each story belongs to one level. Younger children get read-aloud stories; older ones get stories at their book band to read alone. Bands differ in sentences per page, number of pages, sentence complexity and how familiar the words are. At Pink, children are only starting to use phonics on words like sat and pin. By Yellow, the words are a little harder.
From those features we built a set of rules for every band. Sentences have at most five words at Pink and seven at Red. Pink and Red use only one-syllable words, and two-syllable words come in at Yellow. Consonant clusters wait too: frog until Yellow, string until Blue, though letter pairs such as sh and th count as one sound. Other rules set the number of pages, sentences per page and words per story.
Everyday words like the, said and was are fine at every level, and so is your child’s name. When a line breaks a rule, we rewrite it until it fits. Our rules are partly based on the band features, but they are our own, not your school’s phonics programme. During the phonics years, the school book stays the main one and Fabliko is extra reading beside it. The colours themselves are covered in book bands explained.
What about US guided reading levels?
The same check works for guided reading letters. A and B, the first two, follow the Pink rules, and each step up allows longer sentences and longer stories. You choose the level yourself; we never test your child, only the story. There is more in guided reading levels by grade.
From first plan to approval
A story begins as a plan. We decide what the hero wants, what goes wrong, how your child fixes it and where the joke lands, and only then write the text.
Every text comes in a boy version and a girl version. English stories also come in British and American versions, so a child on UK book bands reads mum and biscuits, and a child on US levels gets the American words. Each of these versions goes through the level check.
After that, someone reads the story page by page and either approves it or sends it back. If the text changes later, the approval lapses and the story has to be approved again.
Are the English stories translated?
No. Fabliko has Dutch stories as well. In each language the story and the pictures stay the same, but the telling is new, at the same level, with a refrain and jokes of its own.
Does Fabliko need a photo of your child?
No. You put the avatar together yourself: skin tone, hairstyle, hair colour, eye colour, and glasses or freckles if you like. All we ask is a first name. No photo, surname, school or date of birth. Our privacy policy sets out the few other things we store, like the reading level.
FAQ
Can my child try a story above their band?
Of course, if they’re keen. If it’s too hard to read alone, read it together.
Where do I find out my child’s book band or reading level?
Ask the class teacher, or look in the reading record. Some US schools don’t share guided reading letters with parents. If you’re unsure, go for the lower level. If you only know their age, the start page suggests a level for it, erring on the easy side.
Will a Fabliko story replace the school reading book?
No. In England, the book from school should match the phonics sounds your child has already learned. Fabliko sits beside it: more reading at the same level, starring your child.
Can I see a story before my child reads it?
Yes: open it on screen first, then hand it over. With a free account you get three stories to open and print as a loo poster, and how it works runs through the other formats.
Sources
Jeanine Saunders
Educational psychologist
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