A mom of three’s 33-year-old bedtime secret

They want to play. You want them asleep.

So she made the story part of the play. You read aloud while your fingertip taps, glides and circles on your child’s face or back, slower each page, until the game turns into sleep. It’s called a Touch-Along™ story.

Get Fingertales™ Book 1 on Amazon · $16.99 (opens in a new tab)

A new way to say goodnight

You stop fighting bedtime. You start leading it.

What happens in those ten minutes:

  1. 1. Their body gets the message first.

    Your slow, steady fingertip says “slow down” without a word. Gentle, even touch is linked to a calmer heartbeat and less stress.

  2. 2. They feel safe and close to you.

    Warm touch is linked to oxytocin, the bonding hormone, in your child and in you. No lecture, no pleading. Just you, close.

  3. 3. The game winds down on its own.

    Each story starts playful, then every page gets slower and softer, until your palm rests still on their forehead.

  4. 4. They know what comes next.

    Every story ends the same way: “Tomorrow, wonderful adventures are waiting for you.” The same calm ending each night tells them it’s time to sleep.

Cover of Fingertales Book 1, On the Face: a sleeping child and the tiny glowing Dream Keeper on a parent’s fingertip Cover of Fingertales Book 2, On the Back: a sleeping girl, the glowing Dream Keeper and the Night Zoo animals under the moon

Series one · Ages 2 to 7

Fingertales™ Touch-Along Bedtime Stories

You read the story aloud while one hand gently plays it: a soft tap, a slow glide, a warm circle. Your child’s face becomes Pillow Land, their back becomes the Night Zoo, and the story winds down until your hand rests still.

  • 3 stories in every bookA rhyming story to look at together, then two Touch-Along stories for bedtime.
  • One hand, soft touchesLittle maps show where each touch goes. The other hand holds the book.
  • Always ask “May I?”If your child would rather not be touched tonight, simply read the story.
Everything about Fingertales, and meet the six Dreamland Friends →

How a Touch-Along works

Ten calm minutes, together

  1. A mum and her child reading a Fingertales book together in a cozy bedroom

    1. Read it together

    Snuggle up and read the first story aloud, eyes open. Your child presses a fingertip on the naming page and names their very own Dream Keeper.

  2. A grown-up fingertip gently playing the story on a sleeping child

    2. Your fingertip plays the story

    Follow the numbers on the little map. Every touch is soft, one-handed and never tickly, so the other hand can hold the book.

  3. A child asleep in bed while the glowing Dream Keeper watches over him from the window

    3. Sleep comes softly

    The last pages grow quiet until your hand rests still. If your child pulls away, simply read the story without touch.

Inside every book: start with the look-together story your child picks the red or the blue flag one Touch-Along story on the face, one on the back.

The bedtime shelf

One story tonight. The rest can wait for tomorrow.

Fingertales Book 1, On the FaceFingertales Book 2, On the Back
Fingertales · On the Face Fingertales · On the Back Fingertales · Book 3soon A new seriessoon Sleep storiessoon Activity bookssoon

Book 3 and more on the way.

A shelf that keeps growing.Fingertales is the first series. More stories, read-alouds and quiet-time books are on the way.
See all books →

Why parents keep it

The best ten minutes of the day.

Not the bath. Not the teeth. The part your child will ask for again tomorrow.

Korinna Leányvári

The author

Korinna Leányvári

More than thirty years ago her first son could not fall asleep, so she invented a new kind of bedtime story: she read it aloud while her fingertip gently played the story on his face. All three of her sons still remember it.

“I made this up for my first son, who could not fall asleep. Thirty-three years later, all three of my sons still remember it.”
Read Korinna’s story →

A gift for tonight

Try a free Touch-Along story tonight.

We’ll send you “Wink’s Three Stars”, a short Touch-Along story to read with your child tonight.