Interactive stories for kids: The day Pip lost his color
A short story your child listens to and steers: each scene is read aloud, then your child picks what Pip does next. Made for ages 4 to 7, in the language of the page.
How it works today
Step by step
- Tap “Start the story” on the cover.
- Listen to the scene. The text shows on screen and is read aloud; the speaker button plays it again anytime.
- Pick one of two paths for Pip. Each choice has a picture and a short phrase.
- Follow the path you picked: what happens next depends on each choice.
- Reach one of three endings and see “What we learned.”
- Tap “Read again” to go back to the cover and try a different path.
Right now there is one story: “The day Pip lost his color.” Pip is a chameleon whose color changes with his feelings, and one morning he wakes up completely gray. With his friends Mia the butterfly and Tomás the frog, it's a story about feelings and friendship.
Each run through the story has two or three choices and ends in one of three endings: the Rainbow Ending, the Shared Ending or the Quiet Ending. No path is a mistake. The Quiet Ending, for example, says that sometimes we need to rest before we can talk. There are no points to lose, no timer and no wrong answers.
The text of every scene and every ending is read aloud. The question and the choice phrases appear on screen next to a picture; if your child isn't reading yet, you can read them out loud and let your child decide. The narration uses your browser's or device's built-in reading voice, so it may sound different from one device to another. There's a button to mute the sound.
The story plays in the language of the page: English on the English version of the site and Spanish on the Spanish version. It's free to play, no sign-up needed.
What your child practices
Listening comprehension. To choose what Pip does, your child has to follow what's happening to him. Listening in order to decide is different from having a story on in the background.
Vocabulary. Feeling words and everyday words, like gray, calm, happy, forest, river, hug and share, show up inside a story instead of on a list.
Story sequence. The story has a beginning, a middle and an end. When your child plays again and picks something else, they can start to notice that what happens next depends on what came before.
Every child goes at their own pace. This is a moment to listen and talk together, not a test.
- Following a whole story from start to finish.
- Remembering what already happened in order to choose what's next.
- Putting a name to how a character feels.
- Retelling the story in their own words.
How it connects to school standards (approximate)
Draft · pending a teacher’s review
- MEN Colombia · preschool. Colombia's Derechos Básicos de Aprendizaje de Transición: listening to and understanding stories, and expressing their own ideas and feelings and those of others.
- MEN Colombia · preschool. Colombia's Bases Curriculares para la Educación Inicial y Preescolar: children's literature as a shared experience of enjoyment and conversation with the adults around them.
- Common Core · Kindergarten (US). Kindergarten, Reading: Literature — Key Ideas and Details: with support, retelling a familiar story and talking about its characters and what happens to them.
- Common Core · Kindergarten (US). Kindergarten, Speaking & Listening: talking about a story they heard, and asking and answering questions about what happened.
Screen-free idea: retell it with things around the house (5 minutes)
Grab three things: something to be Pip (a stuffed animal or a sock), something to be Mia (a leaf or a scarf) and something to be the river (a blue towel or blanket). Ask your child to tell the story by moving the objects around: how Pip woke up, where he went and how it ended.
It doesn't have to match the game. If your child changes parts or invents a brand-new ending, that's storytelling too.
- Offer three helper words: first, next and at the end.
- Change one choice: “What if Pip stayed home?”
- Ask: “If you were Pip, what color would you be today?”
Related games
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Frequently asked questions
Does my child need to know how to read?
No. The text of each scene and each ending is read aloud. The choices have a picture and a short phrase that isn't read automatically, so if your child isn't reading yet, read it to them and let them pick.
How many stories are there?
One for now: “The day Pip lost his color,” with three different endings. Kids can play it several times and take a different path each time.
Do the choices really change the story?
Yes. Depending on what your child picks, Pip stays home or heads to the forest, talks about how he feels or stays quiet, and the story ends in one of three endings.
What language is the story in?
The language of the page: English on the English version of the site and Spanish on the Spanish version. The same story exists in both; to hear it in the other language, switch the page language.
Who reads the story?
Today the narration uses the reading voice built into your browser or device, not a recorded narrator, so it can sound different from one device to another. If your device doesn't have that voice, the text stays on screen so you can read it together.
Is it free and safe?
Yes. It's free, with no ads and no chat. You can play without signing up or a credit card.