Read-along Books
These Illustrated short stories feature the adventures of the Pencil Play Pals, and are narrated by noteworthy author Norman Childes.

Kids are able to read along at their own pace by simply clicking from page to page when they're ready to move on. Or repeat a page they'd like to read and listen to again.

Read-along books are a great way to improve a child's reading, as kids don't have to struggle with unfamiliar spelling that can easily bring frustration and interrupt the story.

Printable Pencil Play Pages
Here, kids will find an assortment of pencil play activities and can expect a lot more than the usual coloring pages. There are art and writing games-all created to stimulate creativity.

There's a lot to be learned from simply picking up a pencil and paper. Education through hands-on activities like these isn't only fun, it opens children up to the idea of doing and creating things for themselves. It's amazing what a kid can achieve when they're learning without a formal lesson.

The Pencil Play Pals Times
This fun newspaper has all the latest scoop from kids who are Pencil Play Pals fans. It's filled with their short stories written like articles in a real newspaper. Perhaps Smarty the Clumsy Cat has made the headlines, or "Why I Love My Mom" is grabbing all the attention.

Henry Horn, the newspaper editor, is always looking for fun articles from his kid reporters out in the field. But he only picks the articles he thinks are the best, and when he does he won't change a thing. So they're exactly how they've been submitted (creative spelling and all).

Getting children to write stories like newspaper articles makes them think a little more deeply about what's going on around them. We all know the importance of being aware of what's happening in the world, and this introduces kids to that notion at an early age.

Whacky Answers to Crazy Questions
This fun quiz has multiple-choice answers so every child will eventually pick the right one. But it's not really about trying to get the answers right, it's about building upon and nurturing a child's natural curiosity. Keeping them in the habit of wanting to know why, what, and when makes education something a child wants rather than something to endure. And, as you'll see in this silly but factual quiz, we think humor goes a long way in helping to achieve this.

Jokey Drawings
Here, kids will see how a simple caption can tell a story. It takes only a sentence or two to completely change the meaning of a drawing, and we'll be deliberately leaving some of our cartoons blank to encourage kids to experiment.

Clicking the "write your own caption" button allows kids to type in a caption box that appears above the cartoons. They'll soon see what a difference a few words of their own can make to the meaning of one of our cartoons. And they can e-mail these to their friends to see what they think.

We haven't designed our cartoon pages to be printed, instead we suggest kids pick up a pencil to draw and write their own. We know they'll find that far more rewarding.

Getting kids to play with words and pictures together helps them to think more deeply about the meaning of things rather than taking what they see at face value.

Kids' Gallery
On bedroom walls or fridge doors don't have to be the only places kids get to display their drawings. Our kids' gallery gives kids a chance to display them where the whole world can see their work. We'll put their names under them too so they get the recognition they deserve (no personal information will be shared). And, of course, they'll be able to see the world through other kids' eyes too.