As a little girl myself, I used to love getting lost in stories. I loved being transported into different worlds and hearing imaginative tales - that's what makes stories so magical isn't it? You get to allow your imagination to completely run free. Which is why I think that even now in the age of tech and the Internet, listening to stories will always be a favorite thing for many children. A few weeks back, the boys received something quite different to anything that I've ever seen before -it was a magical little green box called My Fabulous Storyteller from Lunii which tells children fantastic adventures, but with a twist! They get to choose the hero, the setting, a secondary character and an object for the story. After they've done that, My Fabulous Storyteller mixes it all and tells them the stories that they have crafted themselves!
My two boys Ethan who is five and Logan who is three have barely wanted to put their My Fabulous Storyteller down since it came through the door! It's surprised me just how much they've got into it - especially my five year old. He loves that he can choose the characters, the settings and the objects, effectively create creating his very own adventure. Each story seems to really hold his attention and it helps that they are the perfect length, not too long and not too short.
The box itself is also a fantastic size for the boys to be able to carry around with them - they can take it anywhere with them in including in the car and away on our travels. It's actually a perfect alternative to carrying around large, heavy books with us when we go away. The buttons on the box are simple for little people to used and understand. Ethan actually picked up how to operate it very quickly and without any help. The design is very child-friendly.
There's also a jack to plug headphones in if your child is wanting to listen alone.
We really like the graphics that come up on the box too as they help to picture what the characters/objects look like before we choose what to go with. Asides from the images that come up whilst choosing the story, the My Fabulous Storyteller is a totally screen-free audio experience - a perfect mix of innovation and tradition.
Initially, you get 48 stories to listen to with the My Fabulous Storyteller, but there are hundreds more to download (for a price) after you download the Luniibrary online from the Luniistore. We've downloaded a few more story albums for the boys and now we have absolutely loads to customise and choose from.
Another point that we really like about the My Fabulous Storyteller is that little ones can either listen to the stories that they create alone or it can be shared with parents, siblings and/or friends. It's not there to replace bedtime stories or sharing books together - it's an added extra fun activity that can be shared as a family or enjoyed alone.
In terms of cost, My Fabulous Storyteller is currently priced at €59,90 (approx. £54) and additional albums cost from between €2,90 to €19,90 and are available in 8 different languages: French, British English, American English, Italian, Spanish, Russian, German and Dutch. It comes with a USB so that you can recharge it (no batteries are required) and so that you can connect it to the Luniistore via your PC, Mac or Linux. I have been pleasantly surprised to see how much my boys, particularly Ethan, have taken to the My Fabulous Storyteller. It's so lovely see them listening intently to the stories and having so much fun choosing the different elements to each one. Because of how portable it is and how much the boys seem to enjoy it, it is definitely something we'll be taking away with us when we go on long car trips, train rides and on plane journeys. It's the perfect size, the stories are the perfect length and it's an all round fun and unique product that I think most children would absolutely love. Thank you for reading. Alex xo*We were gifted the My Fabulous Storyteller for the purpose of this review, but all thoughts shared are as always, entirely our own.