Frequently Asked Questions
- I've heard your stories are now on Amazon and iTunes - is that right?
- Yes! We are pleased to say that if you're an Amazon or iTunes user and you like the familiarity of these internationally trusted companies you'll find bundles of our stories on both sites. To see our stories on Amazon click here and to see our stories on iTunes click here.
- How do the downloads work?
- We've tried to make this site as easy to use as possible. First, have a listen to the free clips of the stories we have available - you can do this by simply clicking on the speaker icon on each story in the catalogue. Next, choose the stories you'd like to buy by adding them to your shopping cart. Once you've added the stories you want, go to the checkout where you'll be taken to PayPal, who'll deal with the payment process securely. Once that's done, you can download the stories to your computer as MP3 files via the "my account" section of the site. We'll even send you an email that gives you access to the stories you've bought too. You can then save them on your system and transfer them to CD or an MP3 player - the choice is yours. And because this all happens instantly over the Internet, there are no delivery charges. For more details, see our "How it works" page (there's a link at the bottom of every page).
- Is TheStoryMouse.com a site designed to be used by children?
- No. We've designed our site to be used by adults on behalf of children. Of course, there's nothing on our site which would be inappropriate for a child to see or hear, but the site itself is to be used by people aged 18 and over. A child can help to choose a story with an adult by listening to the free audio clips, but if you create an account on this site all the details you submit including the e-mail address must be those of someone over the age of 18.
- What's your approach to storytelling?
- Our stories, fables and fairy tales are not trendy adaptations of the originals! All our tales have that traditional feel, but use language which is accessible by today's children. Sometimes the vocabulary will challenge a young mind to ask "what does that mean?", but these words have been chosen carefully to make the listener think about the words used. We have a broad range of themes and durations, so whether it’s stories for bedtime or stories for long journeys you’re looking for, you’ll find them at TheStoryMouse.com.
- How do you decide which stories to offer on the site?
- In short, they simply have to be good tales. We've carried out extensive research to find the stories and fairy tales that have stood the test of time. Hans Christian Andersen, Charles Perrault, Aesop and the Brothers Grimm left a wonderfully rich archive of material which have remained popular for hundreds of years, so we've chosen the very best they have to offer. We're also looking for original, new material too, so if you're a writer of children's fiction have a look at our "New Authors" section on this site and drop us a line at here - we'd love to hear from you.
- Some of those traditional tales can be a bit dark - will they give my child nightmares?
- We love happy endings, but during our research we discovered that some of these old tales and stories were designed to scare the pants off people, and that's not what we want to do! So we've toned down some of the more unsettling aspects of these fairy tales without losing any of the charm of the originals so that everyone should sleep soundly. In addition, our readers have been selected for the warmth and friendliness of their delivery, so listening to voices like Joanna, Kathy, Annie and Alan is like having a reassuring friend reading to you.
- How can I be sure a story will be appropriate for my child?
- Broadly speaking, our catalogue of stories is suitable for children in an age range from 4-9. We've further categorized the stories into slightly narrower age groups, but we stress that this is only a guide. We all know that children grow and develop at different rates, so what may be suitable for one child might not be suitable for another of the same age. Nobody knows the child you're buying for better than you, so you must use your judgment to decide if a story is appropriate. We know it's obvious, but ask yourself some questions before buying, for example is your child easily frightened, or not frightened by anything? Is he or she more mature or less mature than most in his or her age group? You should also consider the child's personal interests, attention span and vocabulary when selecting stories. However, all our stories are designed to be accessible by as wide a range of ages as possible and you can be assured that all the stories and fairy tales on TheStoryMouse.com are well written and beautifully read.
- What about copyright?
- All the stories we offer fall into one or more of three categories. They are either in the public domain, are original works written by us, or are works licensed to us. Although a story may be in the public domain, we have written our own adaptation of it to make it accessible by today's children, so that adaptation is the copyright of us or our authors. When you download a story from our site, the soundfile you receive is for your personal use only. Of course, you are welcome to transfer it to CD or an MP3 player to make it more portable, but copying and distribution beyond this isn't allowed! .
- I'm not very good with computers - how easy is it to download a story?
- We care passionately about our standards of service, so before you pay for anything on our site, we want to make sure your computer can talk to our system. That’s why we have a free test-download to ensure everything’s as it should be - use this before you make a purchase and everything should be ok. We want to make the process of delivering these great stories and fairy tales as simple as possible and if you follow the instructions on-screen, everything should work perfectly. If it doesn't, let us know at info@thestorymouse.com and we'll do everything we can to put it right.
- Can I be sure my payment is secure?
- For your security all financial transactions on TheStoryMouse.com are carried out through PayPal who will collect from you the information necessary to process your payment, and keep a record of it. We can see the basic details of your purchase in a secure area of their site, but we don’t see any credit card numbers, expiry dates. As a company dedicated to the transferral of online payments, you can be assured that PayPal's payment security features are extensive, including 128-bit SSL encryption technology. You will be sent through to the PayPal site automatically after you confirm your order at the checkout. Don’t worry if you don’t have a PayPal account because the system will still be able to take your debit or credit card payment safely and securely..
- What about security of my information?
- We take your security and privacy very seriously. We're big fans of buying products and services on the internet ourselves and we wouldn't dream of using a site we didn't trust, so we collect the absolute minimum amount of information necessary. And of course, you can be assured that TheStoryMouse.com complies with all applicable UK data protection legislation. There's more detailed information on how your information is collected and used in the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy section of this site.
- What is your refund or cancellation policy?
- Because of the way TheStoryMouse.com works, once you've completed the purchasing process the files are downloaded to your computer immediately, so it's impossible to cancel your purchase at this stage. So the best thing is to make sure your shopping basket only includes the stories you want. Listen to the free clips to help you decide - they'll give you an idea of the tone of each story and you'll hear the voice that's reading them too. Next, make sure your basket contains exactly the stories you want before going to the checkout - you can review the contents of your basket and add stories or take them out at any time before payment. If you have any other questions about this part of the service, there's more information in the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy section. If your question isn't answered there, drop us a line at info@thestorymouse.com and we'll be happy to help. Having said all of that, we want you to be totally happy with the downloads you've bought. If you're not, just let us know why and we'll issue a refund.
- I tried to buy a story but I can't hear it on my computer.
- Oops! We want to put that right straight away. Before downloading any stories, you should always check that your computer is set up to receive our soundfiles. We have a free test-download file which is there to make sure everything's set up and working properly on your computer. There's more information in our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy section which details the system requirements needed to be able to use this site. If you've downloaded the free test-download file and can hear it clearly on your computer, but you still can't hear a story you've paid for then we'll need to use another method to get your stories to you. The easiest and quickest option here is for us to e-mail the sound file to you instead. If you have any problems at all, please get in touch with us straight away by e-mailing info@thestorymouse.com and we'll do everything we can to put things right as quickly as we can. .
- What about viruses etc infecting my computer - is it safe to download soundfiles from the internet?
- While we have taken steps to ensure our site and the stories on it are virus-free, you should make sure that whenever you are downloading ANY files from the internet that you have a firewall or other similar security measures installed to help prevent any malicious scripts or viruses that could affect the functionality of your computer. Consult your computer's help file or anti-virus software documentation for more details. You must bear all the risks associated with use of the Internet, and we cannot accept any responsibility for viruses or other malicious scripts. You'll find more information about this in the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy section of this site.
- How can I find out about new stories you add to the site?
- We have an occasional e-mail newsletter which we'll send out to you from time to time (don't worry, we won't be bombarding your inbox with spam!). This will keep you up to date with new stories, fairy tales, fables and other new material that we add to the site along with special offers. If at any time you want to be taken off our mailing list, just let us know here .
- I want to get in touch with you - how can I do that?
- You can contact us here. We want to make TheStoryMouse.com a place you'll want to come back to and one that you'll recommend to your friends, so your feedback is vital. We welcome all comments, good, bad and indifferent! Tell us what you like, what you're not so keen on, any improvements you think we could make and any stories you'd like to hear in the future. You'll find our full contact details in the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy section of this site.
- Anything else I should know?
- Yes! You can see more detailed legal information in the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy section of this site. You MUST read, understand and accept these Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy BEFORE making a purchase.
