Little LeafLibrary
Create a picture book ↗
LITTLE LEAF LIBRARY · A free, open bookshelf

A little leaf.
A world of stories.

From first sounds to first independent reads.
Find a story to share, then print it and bring it home.

Discover a story ↗
✓ Chinese & English stories✓ Free to read✓ Download & print
✳
Featured story illustration
Start with a little story today.
Let’s read ↗❧
AI picture-book studio

Love a good story? Create your own.

Bring your imagination to our picture-book creation platform.

Visit the story studio ↗Opens in a new tab
GROW WITH STORIES

Stories for every stage of growing up

Choose by age and reading confidence.

Ages are our editorial suggestions, not publisher ratings. Reading abilities vary.

A STORY FOR EVERY LITTLE READER

Find your next favorite book

Loading stories…
FROM SCREEN TO LITTLE HANDS

Make stories part of life.
Take them home, too.

Explore together on screen, or turn a few sheets of paper into a storybook of your own.

01

Find a story your child loves

Age is a starting point; interest matters most. Let children pick an illustration and describe what they see.

02

Read together, then talk

Turn pages online and switch between Chinese and English. Every book includes a conversation prompt.

03

Print the whole story with credits

Choose “Print book” in the reader. Use A4 landscape, fit to page, and disable headers and footers. You can also print the original PDF.

OPEN BOOKS, CLEAR CREDITS

Free stories. Credit where it belongs.

Each reading page records its creators, source and applicable license or public-domain declaration. Most books use CC BY; one catalogue entry carries a publisher Public Domain Mark declaration. Check the individual edition before sharing, adapting or reusing it. Site layouts and synthetic narration are described separately.

Books come from Book Dash, African Storybook / Storybooks Canada and Pratham Books. Source and language details vary by edition. Age, theme and reading prompts are editorial suggestions. Little Leaf is independent of these organizations.

Chinese story collection ↗About CC BY 3.0 ↗About CC BY 4.0 ↗
YOUR READING MOMENTS

Reader feedback

← Back to the bookshelfDownload printable edition

The one in the middle

Khanyiswa is not the first born. She’s not the last born. She’s the one in the MIDDLE!

Suggested age: 4–6岁 · Reading level L2 · 14 illustrated pages

The one in the middle — original illustrated page 1, English text included

Read and listen

This book can be read page by page, heard with synthetic Voice 7 narration, downloaded and printed. Enable JavaScript for the interactive reader, or open the story pages below.

Khanyiswa is not the first born. She’s not the last born. She’s the one in the MIDDLE!

Read all 14 story pages
The one in the middle — original illustrated page 1, English text included
The one in the middle
The one in the middle — original illustrated page 2, English text included
I am the middle one. Not the first born. Not the last born. The one in the middle!
The one in the middle — original illustrated page 3, English text included
The one in the middle can be easy to forget.
The one in the middle — original illustrated page 4, English text included
And easy to leave out.
The one in the middle — original illustrated page 5, English text included
But that's okay because I am also the one with ideas!
The one in the middle — original illustrated page 6, English text included
Look what I can make from just this cardboard box! A beautiful house... with real doors and windows.
The one in the middle — original illustrated page 7, English text included
The one in the middle — original illustrated page 8, English text included
My house has an extra special bed, and a magic slide.
The one in the middle — original illustrated page 9, English text included
Some days my house is also a shop.
The one in the middle — original illustrated page 10, English text included
And on other days it's a very fantastic show.
The one in the middle — original illustrated page 11, English text included
Sometimes my house is just for me!
The one in the middle — original illustrated page 12, English text included
And sometimes it's a house for three! I am the middle one. Not the first born. Not the last born. The one in the middle! And that's the best place for me.
The one in the middle — original illustrated page 13, English text included
The one in the middle — original illustrated page 14, English text included

Creators and open license

Written by
Kirsty Paxton
Illustrated by
Neeske Alexander
Created by
Neeske Alexander (Illustrator); Melissa Visser (Designer); Kirsty Paxton (Writer); Diane Awerbuck (Editor)

Source: Book Dash
Original: The one in the middle from Book Dash
License: CC BY 4.0

Original illustrated spreads and embedded English story text preserved; website layout and printable PDF assembled by Little Leaf. Age, level, theme and recommendation are editorial suggestions. Web and printable layout adapted by Little Leaf. Age and reading-level suggestions are editorial. Original stories and artwork belong to their credited creators. Website narration uses the selected synthetic Voice 7.