Coddles Crew helps parents instil core life values through storytelling, play, and emotional connection, with characters children love.
Each character represents a core life principle, chosen because children instinctively understand the animal and what it stands for.
The park was full of children. But none of them were talking to her.
She sat on the bench and watched them play. They were laughing and running and doing all the things that looked easy from far away.
That's when she noticed the lion.
"I'm Rowe," said the lion. "I'm fine," she said. "No you're not," said Rowe, very gently. "You're scared."
One small question, it turned out, had been enough.
Coddles Crew works across three connected touchpoints, so the lesson travels with your child.
Use our story finder to discover tales from around the world that teach the quality you want to nurture: courage, empathy, discipline, and more.
Every story is written for parent-led or independent reading. The lesson lands through narrative, never through lecturing.
The plush toy and activity cards bring the character home, a physical anchor your child can hold, carry, and remember.
Abstract life principles made memorable, actionable, and loveable for young children.
Illustrated, audio-enabled stories centred around each character. Designed for both parent-led and independent reading.
Activity-based playing cards encouraging children to categorise actions and behaviours according to the seven traits.
High-quality plush toys representing each animal, a physical anchor for the lessons with inscriptions your child can read.
Stories narrated in your own voice. Record once and let your child hear you tell the tale, even when you're not there.
Join the waitlist and be the first to access stories, characters, and early launch offers.
Join the waitlist →No spam. Unsubscribe any time.
Browse fables, folk tales, and proverbs from around the world, each mapped to the values you want to nurture.
The way a story is delivered shapes how a child's brain receives it. Here is what the research tells us, and why it matters for how we designed Coddles Crew.
Neuroimaging research from Boston University, published in Developmental Science (2025), found that live book reading activates the right hemisphere of the brain, the region governing social understanding, empathy, and emotional processing, far more strongly than screen-based storytelling.
MRI studies at Cincinnati Children's Hospital found that children regularly read to by a caregiver showed measurably greater organisation of white matter in the language and literacy areas of the brain. Children with high screen exposure showed the opposite: disorganisation in those same regions. Physical books also engage touch, sight, and sound simultaneously; that multi-sensory experience deepens memory and comprehension in ways a screen cannot replicate.
A study in the Journal of Neuroscience found that the brain processes written and spoken language in the same regions; listening activates the same comprehension pathways as reading. Audiobooks are not a shortcut. They are a genuinely different route to the same destination.
When a child is not expending energy decoding letters, that cognitive capacity is redirected toward comprehension, vocabulary, and emotional engagement. The National Literacy Trust (2020) confirms audiobooks support reading enjoyment, wellbeing, and emotional intelligence. Research from Reading Partners adds that audio elicits emotion more effectively than written words, and that a familiar voice, even recorded, activates attachment and safety responses that deepen how the story lands.
Sources: Boston University, Developmental Science (2025). Cincinnati Children's Hospital, JAMA Pediatrics (2020). Journal of Neuroscience. National Literacy Trust (2020). Christakis et al. (2010). Reading Partners. Pew Research (2023).
Every product decision we have made, from physical books to plush toys to personalised audiobooks in a caregiver's own voice, is grounded in what the research says helps a child's brain grow.
Designed to be held, shared, and read together. A caregiver's voice paired with eye contact and a physical book is the single most powerful combination the research identifies for brain development in the first five years.
A physical object a child can hold while a story is told anchors the emotional lesson in sensory memory. The character becomes a daily reminder of the value; no screen required.
Our personalised audiobooks let you record in your own voice. Research shows that a familiar, loved voice activates attachment and emotional safety, making the story land deeper than any professional narrator could.
We are parents who believe that the stories children hear in their earliest years quietly shape who they become. Coddles Crew is our answer to that belief.
We are working on sharing more about the people behind Coddles Crew, what drives us, and what we are building. Check back soon, or join the waitlist to hear from us directly.