Frequently Asked Questions

All of the picture books are written for children aged 3-8, with the sweet spot being 4-7. They're designed to be read aloud at bedtime or story time the rhyme and rhythm work best spoken.

The books deal with real feelings (fear of the dark, anxiety, resilience, online safety) in a gentle way that's age-appropriate without being dismissive. Many parents report enjoying them too.

The books are coming soon to Amazon and Etsy. You can follow along on Instagram or check the Dev Log to be the first to know when they launch.

Lumo and the Grumble-Grit visit the Lumo page for details.

The remaining books will be available in physical print editions first, with digital versions to follow.

Absolutely that's exactly what they're made for. The books are suitable for classroom reading, library collections, and group story sessions. If you're an educator or librarian and would like a review copy or press materials, please get in touch or visit the Press Kit.

Yes the books intentionally address real feelings: fear of the dark (Pip), anxiety and invisible struggles (Lumo), online safety (Elara), resilience when things are hard (Echo), and belonging (Stardust). These are handled with warmth and care, never with dismissal or false reassurance.

The approach is to validate the feeling first, then gently expand the child's understanding of it. Many parents of sensitive children find this more helpful than books that say "there's nothing to be scared of."

Yes completely free, forever. No sign-up, no download, no in-app purchases. Every browser game on the site plays in your browser with a single click.

All the browser games work on desktop and laptop(any modern browser Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge). Most also work on mobile and tablet.

Echo's Fruit Catch is specifically designed for mobile it uses tilt controls and is best played on a phone held portrait. Lumo's Firefly Shooter and Pip's Night Sky support both mouse and touch.

Echo's Fruit Catch is made specifically for ages 3-8, simple controls, no reading required, very forgiving. Pip's Night Sky is suitable for ages 5+ with a parent to start. Lumo's Firefly Shooter works well for ages 7+.

Arcane Citadel, Gem Match, VoidRush, and Stardust Collector are better suited for older children and adults they have more complex mechanics and faster gameplay.

Yes new games are added regularly. The Dev Log covers every game that's been built and gives a sense of what's coming next. You can also follow the Dev Log to hear about new releases first.

Yes. The games are free and browser-based, which means they work on any device with internet access and no installation needed. Echo's Fruit Catch, Pip's Night Sky, and Lumo's Firefly Shooter all have direct book tie-ins that could complement story time.

Currently available for free:

• Lumo and the Grumble-Grit (Lumo page)
• 6 Godot 4 workshop starter projects, one per My First Video Game episode (browse templates)
• 17 printable cheat sheets and guides covering Godot, Unity, Unreal, Scratch, Roblox, MUGEN, JavaScript, Python, C++, GameMaker, OpenRCT2, Blender, TinkerCAD and Minecraft modding
• Blender Beginners Workshop, a free 7-level 3D modelling course
• Call of the Cards full playtest PDF (Call of the Cards page)
• Cozy Creatures: Snuggle Pile rulebook (Cozy Creatures page)
• Candy Kingdom Adventure full game design document PDF (Candy Kingdom page)
• Creativity Kit printable colouring pages (Colouring Kit page) and a printable Activity Pack
• All browser games, including Quiz Quest, free to play, no download needed

Everything is collected on the Free Downloads page.

No. All free downloads are direct links, no email required, no account, no strings.

Yes the colouring pages and activity sheets are designed to be printed and are free to use in classrooms, libraries, and group settings. The book PDFs and game documents are for personal use; please don't redistribute them commercially.

J. Valentine is a UK-based children's author and designer. The studio makes picture books, browser games, and tabletop games all built on the belief that brave doesn't have to be loud, and that every heart has a spark that can't be dimmed.

More on the About page.

The entire site is hand-coded in plain HTML, CSS, and JavaScript no frameworks, no CMS, no template. The games use the HTML5 Canvas API and Web Audio API. See the About page for more on how it was built.

Yes, the Press Kit has bios, book summaries, brand assets, and contact details for journalists, educators, reviewers, and collaborators. For anything else, the contact form is the best place to start.

The best places to follow JVDesignStudio:

• Instagram, behind-the-scenes, illustration peeks, and game updates
• Dev Log, detailed write-ups of every book and game (read it here)

The merch store isn't open yet. When it launches, orders will be fulfilled through our print partner's global network, with shipping times and costs shown at checkout.

When the merch store opens it will accept major credit and debit cards and PayPal. The books will be sold through Amazon and Etsy once published, following those platforms' standard payment options.

The store isn't live yet, so there are no orders to fix right now. Once it opens, contact the studio directly with your order number and we'll sort it out.

For Amazon or Etsy orders, use the relevant platform's order support they handle fulfilment directly.

Possibly it depends on the scope and timeline. Use the contact form to describe what you have in mind and we'll take it from there.