A practical guide
for parents & carers.
How to share an adventure, support your child’s ideas and understand what POMMARU offers at home.
What your family is stepping into
POMMARU connects a story with something a child can do. A little mystery gives the page a reason to exist; the illustration contains things to notice; and the activity invites the child to contribute an observation, a comparison, a drawing or an idea. Colouring can be part of that investigation, with space for the child’s own choices.
The intended audience is approximately ages 4–7. A grown-up can read aloud and help with instructions while the child supplies the discoveries. You do not need to turn the book into a lesson, finish it in one sitting or have every answer ready. Begin with a page that catches their interest.
Your child has a part in the adventure
The six friends approach questions differently. POMMARU notices, FEXLO tries, WOZZI makes, TILLI-TU tells, PLOOBI thinks and TRELBI connects. Calling the child the seventh crew member is an invitation to join that process: point to a clue, try an idea, explain a choice or help the crew see a connection.
These modes are ways to participate, not personality labels or a ranking of ability. A child might colour while thinking aloud, then tell you something they have noticed. Another may prefer pointing or drawing. Leave room for both, and give them time to explain before offering your own answer.
Meet the six crew members →A simple shared-reading routine
Open with the story
Read the short story or instruction together. Let the child explore the illustration before directing their attention to a particular answer.
Ask one useful question
Try “What do you notice?” or “What makes you think that?” Pause for their idea. A pointed finger, a spoken observation or a drawing can all be a response.
Let them participate
Follow the activity on the page. The grown-up can help with reading or record the child’s words, while leaving the observation and choice with the child wherever possible.
Connect, then pause
Talk about what the clue changed. If it suits your setting, connect it to something safe to observe nearby, or simply draw or describe a remembered example. Stop or continue according to interest.
For example, with a spotting page, you might look together, invite the child to point to a detail and ask how they found it. You can then compare it with another part of the illustration. This is a suggested way to share a page, rather than an extra published Secret Mission.
What the activities invite children to do
A spotting task invites a closer look. Matching or comparing asks the child to explain what belongs together. Drawing gives an idea a visible form. Sharing a response creates a conversation in which the grown-up can ask about the clues, rather than simply marking an answer right or wrong.
These are opportunities to practise observation, expression and reasoning within the adventure. They are not promises of improved intelligence, school readiness or a clinical or developmental outcome. POMMARU activities are not assessments. A child’s pace or preferred way of participating should not be used as a diagnosis.
Make room for different ways of joining in
There is no required daily streak or timed target. You can explore one scene, revisit a favourite page or pause part-way through an activity. If a written response gets in the way of the idea, ask the child to point or talk, or write down their words for them.
Choose materials you consider suitable for the child and the setting. For the page-based experience, start simply with appropriate colouring materials. Final paper and material recommendations will belong to the released edition. The current preview does not promise erasable paper, a specialist sensory programme or a particular accessibility certification.
Discovery with a responsible grown-up
Real-world discovery begins with a grown-up choosing a suitable place, checking conditions and staying with the child. A question in the book is not an instruction to leave a supervised space or seek out wildlife. If a place, material or activity is unsuitable, stay with the illustration, look through a window or choose an indoor drawing or conversation instead.
Look with your eyes. Leave wildlife where it is. Do not catch animals, disturb nests or burrows, taste unknown natural materials or enter unsafe water. Outdoor extensions should fit the family’s circumstances; a large backyard or bushland visit is not a requirement.
A brief screen prompt, then back to the world
The digital principle is simple: use the screen to send the child away from the screen. Planned Secret Missions connect to a book moment, give the grown-up a clear role and invite one safe discovery action. Their intended digital prompt lasts roughly 30–60 seconds before the screen is put away; the real-world exploration can continue at the family’s pace.
The physical book should remain usable without scanning. Standard MVP missions are intended to be open access, with a “Grown-up needed” acknowledgement. They do not depend on a child login, a completion score or a return to the screen to prove success. Mission pages and narrated audio are not available yet; the QR areas in the proof show the intended future extension.
What belongs in the grown-up account
My POMMARU keeps the adult’s relationship with the brand together: owned adventures, verified orders, support messages, saved future releases, collections and preferences. POMMARU Universe is a separate member area inside it, keeping merchandise away from the public adventure pages.
Your account is not a record of a child’s performance. There are no child profiles or individual mission-completion histories. If you contact support, include the order or product information needed to help, and leave out unnecessary child details. You can choose optional communications, export your account information or request account help from the same hub.
What is available to explore today
You can meet the crew, read these guides and view real pages from the supplied POMMARU and the Backyard Mystery proof. The current proof has 32 story-and-discovery sections in the current 68-page layout. The book is in pre-release development, so its final format, selling price, release timing and delivery arrangements are not confirmed.
Purchasing, subscriptions, live Secret Missions, narrated mission audio and dedicated educator packs are not open. My POMMARU provides adult account and in-app support features now. Member merchandise concepts and future-adventure interests are clearly separate from a paid order.
Look inside the current proof →Questions families often ask
Does my child need to read independently?
No. Shared reading is a useful way to enter the adventure. Read a short part of the story, give the child time to look at the illustration and ask what they notice. If they can read some words themselves, invite them to join in. Their contribution to the mystery can be an observation or an idea; it does not have to be a written answer.
How long should we spend on it?
There is no required session length or daily routine. One page and a short conversation can be enough, while another day a child may want to explore several pages. Follow their interest, allow pauses and return later. A planned Secret Mission’s digital prompt is brief; that is separate from how long you choose to spend on a real-world activity.
What if my child gives a different answer or does not want to finish?
Ask them to show you what led to their idea. For an observation or creative task, more than one response may be useful; for a factual question, help them return to the clues without making the activity a performance test. It is fine to pause, skip a task or use another way to respond. There are no scores, daily streaks or completion leaderboards.
Can we adapt the activities for different ways of participating?
Yes. Depending on the task, a child might point instead of write, speak instead of draw, use a larger drawing area or have a grown-up record their words. You can reduce the number of items to compare, revisit an earlier clue or explore one part of the page. These are practical participation options; they do not amount to a specialist accessibility or therapeutic programme.
Do we need a backyard or access to bushland?
No. Begin with the illustration in the book. A suitable real-world connection might be looking through a window, noticing shapes in a safe familiar space or drawing something remembered. Any outdoor activity depends on the grown-up choosing a suitable place and supervising. The discovery approach should make room for families in different homes and settings rather than depend on a large garden.
Will a standard Secret Mission require a child login?
No. The approved MVP mission approach is open access with a simple “Grown-up needed” acknowledgement, rather than child identity verification, a child profile or an email gate. My POMMARU is a separate grown-up account for purchases, resources and support. Missions are not currently live; an account should not be mistaken for a requirement to read the physical adventure.
A little discovery in your inbox.
For grown-ups aged 18 or over. Join the Explorer List with just your email, without registering for My POMMARU.
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