Bedtime stories families can read together, even when they’re apart.
A private family storytime app for parents, grandparents, and kids ages 3–7 — with cozy stories, live video reading, no ads, and no endless feed.
Free to try · No account needed to read a story · Invite family with a private link
Why we built it
Bedtime deserves a calmer place.
Little Lantern is a single, quiet room for a story and the people who love your child — nothing else competing for their attention.
Video calls weren’t made for bedtime
Regular calls put a bright, busy screen in front of your child at the calmest moment of the day.
Streaming apps are too noisy
Autoplay, ads, and endless recommendations pull kids further from sleep, not closer to it.
Family lives too far away
Grandparents and traveling parents miss the small moments — a story before bed most of all.
How it works
Three quiet steps to storytime.
Choose a cozy story
Short, gentle bedtime stories written and illustrated for ages 3–7.
Invite trusted family
Send a private invite link. Only people you invite can join the room.
Read together live
See each other on video and turn the pages together — like sitting side by side.
Built for the whole family
A cozy corner for every kind of family.
Grandparents
Read the same story your grandchild is reading — even from across the country.
Traveling parents
Keep the bedtime ritual going from a hotel room or a late night at work.
Families living apart
Co-parents and extended family share one gentle window into the same story.
Calm bedtime routines
A short story, a warm voice, a soft close — designed to help kids wind down.
Stories & Worlds
Cozy stories, written for bedtime.
Every story is short, warm, and illustrated — grouped into Story Worlds families can return to together.
Safety & trust
A quiet, private room — nothing more.
No advertising models, no recommendation algorithms, and no one in the story room your family didn’t invite.
- No ads
- No autoplay
- Private invite links
- Parent-controlled
- Built for bedtime
Help shape a calmer bedtime for families everywhere.
We’re inviting a small group of founding families to try Little Lantern and shape what it becomes. Free during beta.
Good to know
Common questions.
Who is Little Lantern for?+
Families with kids roughly ages 3–7 who want a calmer bedtime — especially when a parent or grandparent isn’t in the same room.
Do we need accounts to read together?+
The parent hosting storytime creates a private invite link. Family members join with the link — no account required to read along.
Is it really ad-free?+
Yes. No ads, no autoplay, no recommendation feed. Little Lantern is designed for bedtime, not attention capture.
How much does it cost?+
Little Lantern is free during our beta. Founding families keep early-supporter benefits when we introduce a family plan.
What devices work?+
Any modern phone, tablet, or computer with a camera and microphone. No install required to join a storytime.