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ENGAGE
1st Place Global App Competition 1,400+ applicants

The guidance for family reading we've been missing.

The app where the moment matters as much as the pages turned. Find the right book, get guidance for reading together, and capture what came up before it fades.

Start free

14 days free · No card required. Then $6.99/month.

Connection Guidance

Books open something. We help you hold onto it.

Open any book. Choose the kind of moment you want. ENGAGE gives you connection guidance for that particular book. Powered by The ENGAGE Method®, vetted by clinicians, ready when you are.

ENGAGE app: Last Stop on Market Street with Connection Guidance
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SCBWI
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Bookshop.org
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Reading To Connect Day™
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Children's Book Mastery
Harper Kids Tastemaker
Women in Publishing Summit
Dallas Moms
CHLA
SCBWI
Authority Magazine
Bookshop.org
Voyage Dallas
Reading To Connect Day™
Bubble.io AI for Good: Best Pitch 2025
How the ENGAGE app works

This isn't a reading app. It's a connection loop. Built to grow with your family.

Discover, Plan, Read, Capture and Reflect describe ways to use the ENGAGE app. The ENGAGE Method® is the six-phase framework behind the guidance: Excite, Notice, Give, Apply, Gather and Ending Swap. Choose the support you need; using the method does not require completing every app step.

ENGAGE Community

What this looks like in real homes.

Real shared reading moments, captured by real families using ENGAGE. Shared with permission.

Churro Stand book cover
Age 8

Churro Stand

A kid at school teased my son about working the food cart with me on the weekends. I knew he felt embarrassed but didn't want me to know it. The next weekend… he helped make the sign for our table. His idea. He wrote our last name on it in big letters!!

Joy Appreciation Cultural Pride
The Yellow Bus book cover
Age 5

The Yellow Bus

I recently had to switch my son to the bus. That was hard in itself! But even harder watching him cry as the bus pulled off 😭. We read this book so many times and by Friday Omar was the one saying, "The bus always comes back." He got on without crying. I cried in the car the whole way home.

Belonging Resilience Major Transitions
The Rock in My Throat book cover
Age 8

The Rock in My Throat

Aaron has always had a hard time saying when something hurts. After this book he pointed to his chest and said, "I have one of those too sometimes." We talked about it for a while after that 💕

Courage Empathy Big Emotions
Frog and Toad Are Friends book cover
Age 7

Frog and Toad Are Friends

I can't believe it took so long for me to read this with him! We giggled the whole way through 🥰

Belonging Joy Kindness Empathy
Rocket Says Look Up book cover
Age 6

Rocket Says Look Up!

We loved the little fun facts about space shared with the readers. But big brother really stole my kiddos' attention. Why is he looking down? He's so angry. Our biggest take away from this one was to be present with the ones you love and give technology a break — you might miss something amazing.

Curiosity Joy Determination
Seya's Song book cover
Age 8

Seya's Song

We read this when R was pretty sleepy already. She rarely falls asleep reading, but this one is so peaceful with a measured, soft cadence, and calming words. By the end, she had dozed off. At first I was a bit disappointed that she didn't hear the whole story, but then realized it did its work by bringing her peace and comfort ❤️

Belonging Big Emotions
Quinn Cummings, founder of Reading To Connect
Quinn Cummings

I'd read Big Bad Bunny a hundred times. I didn't know if it mattered.

By the time my son was four, I'd read him Big Bad Bunny about a hundred times. I was exhausted. Reading was supposed to build our bond. But I kept asking myself: did this moment matter, or did I just check off a task?

That question wouldn't leave me alone. I started writing down what shared reading was actually doing for us. Then I started talking to other parents in our community about what was happening in their homes. I ran read-alouds at schools, sat with literacy teachers, interviewed authors and child development specialists on my podcast. Six years of listening to families, to professionals, and to the kids themselves turned that question into a method. The method became this app.

I built it for the parents who are asking the same question I was.

Quinn Cummings
Founder, Reading To Connect
Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE-P)
How ENGAGE is different

You already know why this matters. Knowing isn't the hard part.

ENGAGE shows you how.

How would you like to connect through this book?
Where the Wild Things Are book cover
From the library
Where the Wild Things Are
Ages 5–8
Sample Connection Guidance
"Before you open the book, ask your kid what they think a 'Wild Thing' might be."
Curiosity-led reading turns a book into a starting point, not a finish line.
Last Stop on Market Street book cover
From the library
Last Stop on Market Street
Ages 5–8
Sample Connection Guidance
"Does Nana remind your kid of anyone special in our family? Share who she reminds you of first."
When a character reminds you of someone real, the book stops being about strangers and starts being about us.
Goodnight Moon book cover
From the library
Goodnight Moon
Ages 5–8
Sample Connection Guidance
"Read the 'Goodnight' lines in a very soft, sleepy voice. Let your kid take a turn saying them too."
When you bring your voice into the room, your child stops following the pages and starts walking into them.
Soul Food Sunday book cover
From the library
Soul Food Sunday
Ages 5–8
Sample Connection Guidance
"When the family gathers for their Sunday meal, share one of our own family traditions. Ask your kid what they like about it."
A book opens the door to your own family stories. ENGAGE keeps it open long enough for a real exchange.
Each Kindness book cover
From the library
Each Kindness
Ages 5–8
Sample Connection Guidance
"Ask your kid what they would do if a new kid like Maya came to their class."
Their inner world is already there. The right question lets it out.
Harold and the Purple Crayon book cover
From the library
Harold and the Purple Crayon
Ages 5–8
Sample Connection Guidance
"Ask your kid what other colors Harold might use if he had more crayons."
Imagination is connection. The book is the room. You decide where it goes.
Now, the part where you decide.

You're already reading together.
This helps you hold onto what happens.

Find the right book. Get guidance for reading together. Capture what came up before it fades. The practice that's already changing how families read together.

Start free

14 days free · No card required. Then $6.99/month.

Finally, guidance for family reading.

Common questions

Things parents ask before they sign up.

Is ENGAGE for my kid, or for me?

It’s for you, the parent or caregiver. Find a book, choose guidance you want to try, and save a moment if you want to remember it. Your child doesn’t need an account or a device.

What ages does this work for?

The app is built for ages 5–12, with reading guidance written in two bands: 5–8 and 9–12. You can search any book for Connection Clues. The recommended books are a starting point, not a limit on what you can use.

How is this different from Connect Through Reading?

The app gives you ongoing help on your phone for the book in your hands, with Connection Clues for any book you search. Ages 5–12.

Connect Through Reading is a self-paced course in The ENGAGE Method®. Watch the lessons on your own schedule and try the ideas with books you choose.

Start with the kind of support you want. You do not need the course to use the app.

What if my kid doesn't love reading?

Start with what interests your child and what feels manageable together. You might look at pictures, read a few pages, or let them choose another book. The app can help you find possibilities; there is no need to turn an invitation into a requirement.

Is this going to be one more thing I can't keep up with?

Use the guidance when it helps. You can try one invitation, read without prompts, or save a moment afterward if you want to. There’s no streak to maintain or daily check-in. Come back when it fits your family.

Reviewed

ENGAGE has been used & reviewed by people who work with kids every day.

"ENGAGE does what countless literacy programs don't — it helps parents create connection that drives language development and confidence."

Shenee Omuso, MAT, MA, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

"This app makes storytime enjoyable and engaging — turning reading into a special bonding experience rather than a daily challenge."

Dr. Sheila R. Thomas, Ed.S.

"The Parent Partner" · Brazelton Touchpoints–trained

"A beautiful way for parents to find books, track values, and capture moments — nothing else brings it all together like this."

Chelsea C. Elliott, MSW

Founder, Sōmōcom Lab · Children's Emotional Intelligence