Big Brother & Big Sister Story
- Full sample story · 5 min
- One price: $9.99
- Read by our storyteller or in your own voice
A new baby changes everything at home, and the child who was the baby until now notices all of it. A story where they are the hero, the big brother or big sister who is needed, clever and very much loved, gives you a gentle way to talk about it at bedtime, before the baby comes or in the busy weeks after.
Tell us your child's name, the baby's name if you know it, and a few things your child loves. It's a thoughtful present from grandparents or a godparent, too: so much of the attention at this time goes to the newborn, and this gift is just for the older child. Listen to Mateo's story below before you order.
Listen to a sample: Mateo's story
This is a complete gift story, written for Mateo (age 4) from Abuela and Abuelo, read in the same voice and style as the one you'll receive. Your child's story is written for them alone after you order.
Tap any sentence in the story to start reading from there. It stops at the end.
Mateo and the Very Small Sister
For Mateo, the best big brother Rosie could wish for, with love from Abuela and Abuelo.
Mateo and the Very Small Sister
When Rosie came home, she was the smallest person Mateo had ever seen. She had tiny fingers, a tiny nose and a tiny yawn that went "Mmm-ah." She was wrapped in a blanket the color of peaches, and she was fast asleep. "Hello, Rosie," said Mateo. "I'm Mateo. I'm your big brother." Rosie didn't say anything. She was busy sleeping.
Mateo showed her Crunch, his green dinosaur. "This is Crunch," he said. "He says ROAR." Crunch said ROAR, quite loudly. Rosie opened one eye, looked at Crunch for a moment, and closed it again. "She likes him," said Mateo.
It turned out that Rosie couldn't do very much yet. She couldn't jump off the bottom stair. Mateo could. She couldn't eat a banana, not even a little bit. Mateo could eat a whole banana, and half of Dad's. She couldn't drum on the pots with a wooden spoon, bang-a-bang-bang. Mateo could, and did, until Mom said, "Maybe a quieter song, sweetheart. Rosie's asleep." Rosie was nearly always asleep.
"What can Rosie do?" Mateo asked at dinner. Dad thought about it. "She can drink milk," he said. "She can sleep. She can hold on to a finger very tight. And she can look. Babies love looking at their big brothers. It's their favorite thing." Mateo wasn't sure about that. But the next morning he tried it. He put his face close to Rosie's and said, "Good morning, Rosie." Rosie looked at him with her round, dark eyes. She looked and looked. Then her tiny hand found his finger and held on.
"She's holding me," whispered Mateo. "She knows you," said Mom. "All those months before she was born, she could hear you. Your singing, your stories, your drumming." Mateo thought about this. "Even the loud drumming?" "Especially the loud drumming."
That afternoon, Rosie woke up and cried. Mom rocked her. Dad walked up and down the hall with her. Rosie cried and cried, and her little face went as pink as a strawberry. Mateo sat down very close, and he had an idea. He sang his digger song, the one he always sang to Crunch, but quietly, the way you would sing it to a dinosaur who was very tired. "Dig, dig, digger, dig it deep. Dig a little hole, and go to sleep." Rosie stopped crying. She gave a little hiccup. She listened. And slowly, slowly, her eyes closed. "Well, look at that," said Dad softly. "Some things only a big brother can do."
That night Mateo climbed into bed with Crunch, and Mom sat on one side of him and Dad sat on the other, because there is always room for everyone at bedtime. "Will Rosie be small forever?" asked Mateo. "Not forever," said Mom. "One day she'll jump off the bottom stair. One day she'll eat bananas. One day she'll bang on the pots. And who do you think will show her how?" "Me," said Mateo. "Me and Crunch."
Next door, in Mom and Dad's room, Rosie was asleep in her little crib, making her tiny sound. "Mmm-ah." Mateo yawned. It was a big yawn, a big-brother yawn. "Goodnight, Rosie," he whispered. "Dig, dig, digger, dig it deep..." And before he got to the end of the song, he was fast asleep too.
Goodnight, Mateo, big brother. Sleep tight.
What you get
- The narrated story as an MP3 to keep: it plays on any phone and works on a Yoto Make Your Own card or a Toniebox Creative-Tonie.
- A printable keepsake page with the dedication and the whole story.
- Read by our British storyteller, or in your own voice if you record it once (only your own voice, with a separate consent step).
- For bilingual families: add a Chinese version with Mandarin narration at no extra cost.
Tell us about the child
One price, $9.99, paid once; no subscription. We write the story after you order and read it aloud; if writing or narrating fails, you aren't charged.
Big Brother & Big Sister Story: common questions
- What will we receive?
- A story written for your older child, with them as the big brother or big sister, read aloud by our storyteller after your dedication. You get the narrated MP3 to keep, for any phone, a Yoto Make Your Own card or a Toniebox Creative-Tonie, and a printable keepsake page with the dedication and the story. It also stays saved in your account.
- How quickly is it ready?
- Usually within a couple of minutes of paying. The story appears in your account with its narration and the printable page, so you can play it that same evening. If something goes wrong while we're writing or narrating it, you aren't charged.
- Can I listen to one before I buy?
- Yes. Mateo's story on this page is a full story, written the same way and read in the same voice as yours will be. We can't preview your child's own story, because we write it only after you order, for that one child, but the sample is exactly the kind of story you'll get.
- Can I order it before the baby arrives?
- Yes. Many families play it in the last few weeks before the birth. If you know the baby's name, put it in the details box. If you don't, say so, and the story will simply talk about "the new baby". After the birth you can order another one with the baby's name in it, if you'd like.
Stories are written by AI from what you tell us and checked by moderation; narration is AI. Sample stories are our own.