13 episodes · ages 5–8

When They Were Little.

Real dreamers — from India and around the world — told as gentle bedtime stories, so every child sees themselves in someone great.

Episodes13Ages5–8Languages7
Cover art for the When They Were Little collection
Why this series

Children do not need to be told to aim high. They need to hear that the people they are told to admire were once exactly as small, as bored and as unsure as they are.

Each episode runs six to nine minutes — long enough to settle into, short enough to finish before anyone is too tired. The series remembers where you stopped, so tomorrow night begins where tonight ended.

Available in all seven languages: English, Hindi, Hinglish, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali and Marathi.

Every episode

All 13, in order.

  1. 1 Ruskin Bond
  2. 2 Rabindranath Tagore
  3. 3 M.S. Subbulakshmi
  4. 4 Mahatma Gandhi
  5. 5 Ada Lovelace
  6. 6 Mother Teresa
  7. 7 Martin Luther King Jr.
  8. 8 Greta Thunberg
  9. 9 Steve Jobs
  10. 10 Serena Williams
  11. 11 Usain Bolt
  12. 12 Dhyan Chand
  13. 13 Wangari Maathai
Before you start

Is this right for your child?

Best for ages 5–8

The vocabulary and pacing are pitched at this range. Younger children usually still enjoy listening; older ones tend to prefer the longer series.

About six to nine minutes each

Long enough to settle into, short enough to finish before anyone is too tired to listen properly.

Nothing frightening

No peril, no punishment, no cliffhangers designed to keep a child awake. Every episode ends somewhere calm.

Screen down

Audio-first by design. Start the episode, put the phone face-down, and let the room go dark.

Questions parents ask

Do we have to listen in order?

No. Each episode stands on its own, though the series does remember your place if you would rather go straight through.

Is it free?

The whole When They Were Little series is in the free library, along with the other 270 stories. Free also includes three personalised stories a month, where your own child's name is woven in.

Can we hear it in our own language?

Yes — all seven. You can switch mid-series without losing your place, so a grandparent can hear it in Hindi and your child in English.

Can I narrate it myself?

Yes. Record your voice once in the app and it becomes the narrator for your family's stories, which matters most when you are travelling.

Start tonight

Three personalised stories free every month.

The whole When They Were Little series is in the free library. No advertising, no autoplay, nothing for a child to buy.

More series: Baby Krishna · Baby Hanuman · Gita Wisdom · Festivals of Bharat