Audiobooks are valuable, inclusive and powerful — but they are not the same as reading. For young children especially, decoding print is a skill that can’t be replaced by listening. In our rush to keep reading alive, we risk blurring a distinction that really matters.

Every parent remembers their child’s first word. Some say “Mum”, some say “Dad” – our son said “digger”. In this post I show how those early obsessions with diggers, fire engines and other machines can become the raw material for a bedtime story picture book. From emotional arcs and page plans to onomatopoeia and illustration, here’s how to turn one small word into a full 32-page goodnight story.