Joey Books comes to web and desktop

Joey Books is now available in the browser and on desktop, giving families and teachers another way to open the Joey Books library.

Joey Books started as an app because that was the right place to build the reading experience. We wanted the flow to be simple: choose a book, hear the narration, follow the words, turn the page. The app gave us a focused place to get that right.

Web and desktop solve a different problem. They make Joey Books easier to open from the devices families and teachers already use. A parent might be setting things up from a laptop. A child might be using a shared family computer. A teacher might want to open a book on the classroom screen. In those moments, asking someone to move to another device or install an app can get in the way.

Sometimes the useful thing about the browser is simple: it is already open.

So we built Joey Books for the browser.

The goal was not to make Joey Books feel like the open internet. Children still stay inside Joey Books. The library is still made up of real books, with narration, word highlighting, and no feeds, ads, autoplay or unrelated videos.

This is not a move away from the app.

It is another way to make Joey Books easier to reach.

For parents, the browser is often where setup happens. It is easier to sign in, check details or help a child get started from a laptop than from a small screen.

For children, a larger screen gives the book more room. Illustrations are easier to see, the words have more space, and the reading flow can feel more settled.

For teachers, Joey Books can open on the screen that is already in the room. That makes it easier to use during group reading, quiet reading or a small classroom activity.

The reading experience is always our primary focus. If the book opens but the audio feels late, or the highlighted words feel off, the experience does not feel like Joey Books.

So we focused on keeping the core reading path familiar across app, web and desktop: open Joey Books, choose a book, start reading, hear the narration, follow the highlighted words, and turn the page.

On desktop, it is easy to fill the screen with more menus, panels and buttons. We tried not to do that. The extra space should help the story, not compete with it.

The most important thing on the screen should still be the book.

The biggest change was not just screen size. It was how the screen is used.

On a tablet, Joey Books often feels like something a child uses on their own. On a laptop, desktop or classroom display, it can become more shared. A parent can sit beside a child. A teacher can read with a group. A grandparent can help from the browser without needing to install anything first.

That changed how we thought about the web version. It needed to feel familiar for children who already use Joey Books, but also comfortable when an adult is nearby.

To mark Joey Books coming to web and desktop, we’re highlighting books that work especially well for shared reading.

This month’s feature is Light Horse Boy by Diane Wolfer, illustrated by Brian Simmonds and narrated by journalist Mark Bennett.

It is our longest book yet, at almost 100 minutes. Mark also added realistic background sound effects to the story, which adds to the reading experience. The book includes beautiful sketches alongside primary source documents and historical photos.

Light Horse Boy is a holiday read for readers aged 6 to 10. It goes behind the scenes of the great Anzac legends for an intimate look at their experience of World War I. It is the kind of book that can leave children feeling like they have learnt something and finished something substantial.