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From 0 to 16, every story in its age band.

The right book at the right moment is what gives a child — and then a teenager — the taste for reading. Every story on Germe d'histoires — lullabies, picture books, AI tales, audiobooks, author works — is sorted into 9 age bands, against strict criteria of vocabulary, length, themes and emotions. From newborn to high-school student, we stay in young-readers territory.

Early years · 0 to 12 months

Before reading comes sound, voice and gaze. Very short content, designed with early-childhood specialists.

Newborn
0 – 3 months
Soothing sounds, voice, melodies
Format
Lullabies, white noise, soft voice, whispers
Length
1 to 3 minutes
Language
No words — only melodies, sounds and intonations
Themes covered
  • Sleep, soothing
  • Parental presence
  • First auditory stimuli
Always excluded
  • Sharp sounds, abrupt cuts
  • Spoken text
  • Complex visual stimulation
Bambino
3 – 6 months
First high-contrast picture books
Format
High-contrast picture books, short nursery rhymes, onomatopoeia
Length
2 to 4 minutes
Language
Onomatopoeia, first sound-words, sung repetitions
Themes covered
  • Contrasted faces, animals
  • First sensations
  • Bright colour discovery
Always excluded
  • Narrative storytelling
  • Visual complexity
  • Abstract vocabulary
Baby
6 – 9 months
Discovering the close world
Format
Cloth/board picture books, audio peek-a-boo games
Length
3 to 5 minutes
Language
20 to 50 familiar words, lots of repetition
Themes covered
  • Family, plushie, emotional security
  • First imitation games
  • Everyday objects
Always excluded
  • Conflict, fear
  • Sudden sounds
  • Linear narration
Older baby
9 – 12 months
Point, name, repeat
Format
Object picture books, first gesture nursery rhymes
Length
3 to 6 minutes
Language
50 to 100 everyday words, ritualised phrasing
Themes covered
  • Routines (eat, sleep, walk)
  • Pointing and naming
  • Familiar animals
Always excluded
  • Abstractions
  • Suspense
  • Complex sentences

Little ones · 1 to 5 years

From repetitive picture books to first structured tales.

Toddler
1 – 2 years
First repetitive stories
Format
Short repetitive illustrated stories, nursery rhymes
Length
4 to 7 minutes
Vocabulary
100 to 300 words, simple subject-verb-object sentences
Themes covered
  • Budding autonomy
  • Colours, shapes, first emotions
  • Familiar animals and objects
Always excluded
  • Plot, suspense
  • Fear of the dark
  • Abstract vocabulary
Child
2 – 5 years
First structured tales
Format
Short illustrated tales, narrated audiobooks
Length
5 to 12 minutes
Vocabulary
500 to 1,500 words, longer sentences, first subordinate clauses
Themes covered
  • Friendship, family, school
  • Gentle adventures, imaginary journeys
  • First complex emotions (jealousy, fear of the dark)
Always excluded
  • Physical violence
  • Explicit death
  • Romance

Readers and teens · 5 to 16 years

From first autonomous reading to engaged YA novels. We stay in young-readers territory, never sliding into adult content.

Elementary
5 – 11 years
Chaptered stories, autonomous reading
Format
Chaptered stories, long-form audio, first autonomous reading
Length
10 to 30 minutes
Vocabulary
1,500 to 5,000 words, rich syntax, dialogues
Themes covered
  • Quests, gentle mysteries, child heroes
  • Science, history, mythology, ecology
  • Difference, courage, mutual help, first encounter with injustice
Always excluded
  • Graphic violence
  • Explicit romance
  • Horror
Middle school
11 – 14 years
Short novels, pre-teen topics
Format
Short chaptered novels, mini-sagas, long-form audio
Length
30 to 60 minutes
Vocabulary
Literary vocabulary, metaphors, varied registers
Themes covered
  • Identity, complex friendship, first relationships
  • Society: justice, ecology, hard choices
  • Science, imaginary worlds, rich mythologies
Always excluded
  • Explicit scenes
  • 16+ content
  • Gratuitous violence
High school
14 – 16 years
YA, engaged novels
Format
Long YA novels, series, immersive audio
Length
45 minutes to several hours (per chapter)
Vocabulary
Rich, varied registers, realistic dialogues, first stylistic figures
Themes covered
  • Identity, life choices, engagement, ecology
  • Gentle YA romance (suggested, not explicit)
  • Fantasy, science-fiction, realistic contemporary
Always excluded
  • Explicit sexual scenes
  • Graphic violence
  • Glamorised illegal substances

How we make sure it really matches

Slapping an age band on a cover is easy to write. Making it real takes process. Here is how every story does — or does not — make it in front of your child.

1. The creator declares the band

Partner author or AI engine: the target age band is set at creation. It conditions the AI prompt, tone and length.

2. Automatic vocabulary and length checks

Every story goes through a filter that verifies length, lexical richness, absence of forbidden words for the band, and presence of sensitive themes.

3. Human review for author stories

Every paid author story goes through our editorial team, who validate or request a revision before publication. That is the "approved" status.

4. Parent reporting

If a story feels mis-classified to you, report it in one tap from the app. The content is hidden while we review.

You stay in control

Every child profile declares its age. The app only offers stories from the matching band (and the one just below if you wish). You can also manually unlock a higher band, or restrict certain themes.