Frequently asked questions
Everything parents want to know about Little Hero Stories
Getting started
What is Little Hero Stories?+
Little Hero Stories is an AI-powered platform that creates personalized, illustrated picture-book stories starring your child. Each story is completely unique — featuring your child's name, their favorite interests, and language perfectly matched to their age.
Do I need to install anything?+
No. Everything runs in your browser. Just create a free account and you can start generating stories immediately.
Is it really free?+
Creating your first story is free. We plan to introduce a paid plan for unlimited stories, but free access is available while we're in early access.
The stories
What ages is Little Hero Stories for?+
Ages 1–12. We automatically adjust story length, vocabulary, and illustration density based on your child's age. Toddler stories (1–3) are short, repetitive, and picture-heavy. Stories for 10–12-year-olds are longer, richer adventures with more text per page.
Is every story really different?+
Yes — every story is uniquely generated even for the same child. The same name and interests will produce a completely different adventure each time. You can create dozens of stories and they will all be original.
Can I choose the story theme?+
Yes. During the creation flow you can optionally choose a theme such as "Bedtime story", "Birthday adventure", "Brave hero", "Mystery adventure", and more. You can also add your own custom interests for the hero.
How long does it take to create a story?+
The story text is ready in about 15 seconds and you can start reading immediately. Illustrations are generated in the background — they typically all appear within 2–3 minutes as you flip through pages.
Illustrations
Who creates the illustrations?+
Illustrations are AI-generated using OpenAI's gpt-image-1 model, guided by detailed prompts we build for each scene based on the story and a consistent visual description of your child's character.
Why do illustrations take a few minutes?+
Each image is generated individually at high quality. For a typical story this means 6–12 images. They are created in the background while you start reading — you will see them appear on each page as they are ready.
Saving & downloading
Can I download my stories?+
Yes — every completed story can be downloaded as a PDF directly from the story page. The PDF includes all illustrations and text, formatted like a real picture book.
Where are my stories saved?+
All your stories are saved to your account and accessible any time from the "My Stories" dashboard. There is no expiry — your stories will stay there as long as your account is active.
Privacy & safety
Is my child's data safe?+
Yes. We collect only the minimum information needed to generate your story: your child's first name, age, and interests. We never collect your child's surname, photo, school, or any other identifying information. We never sell or share personal data. See our Privacy Policy for full details.
Are the stories age-appropriate?+
Absolutely. Every story is generated with child-safe content guidelines: warm, uplifting, never scary or violent. Our prompts instruct the AI to focus on values like kindness, courage, and friendship.
Do you comply with children's privacy laws?+
Yes. We comply with COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act). The account is created and managed by the parent or guardian — not the child. See our Privacy Policy for complete details.