← Back to Read to Me

How it works

Photograph a Chinese picture book you own, cover to cover. Read to Me reads the words exactly as printed, in Mandarin or Cantonese, with a soft chime at every page turn, so your child can listen on a Yoto and follow along in the book. About 10 minutes for a typical picture book. You don't need to read Chinese.

1. Before you start

Check the book for official audio first: many Chinese picture books have a QR code inside the cover. If yours does, use that instead.

Sign in with the Google account you were invited with. Another Google account, even your own, won't get in.

2. Put it on your home screen

iPhone: open Read to Me in Safari, tap the Share button, then Add to Home Screen.

Android: open it in Chrome, tap the ⋮ menu, then Add to Home screen (or Install app).

It then opens full screen like an app, and stays signed in.

3. Start a book and choose the language

Tap New book. Under Read this book in, choose Mandarin or Cantonese before taking photos: each photo is read for one language. Most books printed in simplified characters are read in Mandarin. If the book looks like it suits the other language, Read to Me suggests switching.

4. Photograph the book, in order

  1. Front cover
  2. Spread 1
  3. Spread 2
  4. …
  5. Back cover

Tap Take cover photo, then Take next spread for each page turn: one photo of everything you see when the book is open (usually two facing pages). Finish with the back cover. Each photo is read as soon as you take it, while the book is still open at that page.

  • Fill the frame with the book, and hold the phone straight above it.
  • Avoid shine on the words: tilt the book away from a window or lamp.
  • If it says Looks blurry. Retake?, tap Retake under the photo. The new photo replaces it and keeps its place.
  • Already took the photos? Choose from photos adds several at once, sorted by when they were taken. Press and hold a photo, then drag it to fix the order.

5. Check the photos

Under each photo you'll see the Chinese text, the pinyin, and a rough English translation.

  • Some text hidden or Couldn't read: a finger, a shadow or the book's fold covered some words. The list Fix these before making audio says what's missing. Retake the photo, or choose to go ahead without those sentences.
  • The app never guesses at words it can't see, and never reads a sentence with a missing piece.
  • It also checks the page order and warns about a missing or repeated page. Page order looks right. means you're done.
  • The English is only for you to check the pages make sense. It's never read aloud.

6. Make the audio and download it

Tap Make Mandarin audio. It takes a few seconds. The track opens with the title and author as printed on the cover, then reads each page, with a soft chime at each page turn. Listen, then tap Download. The track isn't kept in Read to Me, so download it now. You can make it again later from the saved text.

7. Put it on a Yoto card

In the Yoto app, open Make Your Own, create a playlist (or open one), and add the MP3 as a track. Then link the playlist to a blank card. Each book is one track, so several books fit on one card.

Good to know

  • It's free for you. Each account can use $5 of reading and speech a month, enough for about a dozen books; it starts again on the 1st.
  • Your books are visible only to you. Photos are deleted within a day of making the audio (30 days at most); the text is kept so you can make the track again.
  • Use it only for books you own, and keep the tracks for your family. See the terms of use and privacy.