K-12 learning 🇬🇧 London, United Kingdom Since 2011 4.6 · 586 ratings

Night Zookeeper

Reading and writing games and lessons for ages 6–12, with tutor feedback.

Visit nightzookeeper.com All companies
children have used it, according to the company
1M+
countries
95
age range
6–12
on Trustpilot, 1,067 reviews
4.5

About Night Zookeeper

Night Zookeeper is a reading and writing programme for children aged 6 to 12 from Wonky Star Ltd in London. Children draw a magical animal, play vocabulary, spelling and grammar games, then write stories, reports and poems that a tutor reads and comments on, usually within 48 hours. A family plan costs $14.99 a month or $119.90 a year in the US, and £11.99 a month or £99.99 a year in the UK, after a 7-day free trial. Teachers get a free classroom account with the writing features, and full school plans are priced on request. It runs in the browser and as an iPad and iPhone app.

Night Zookeeper teaches English reading and writing through a story world. A child creates their own animal, joins Night Zookeeper Will, Sam the Spying Giraffe and Riya, and earns rewards for lessons, games and writing tasks. Parents pick the child’s age and difficulty level, and the programme adjusts vocabulary and tasks. British and American English follow the UK and US curricula.

Joshua Davidson and Paul Hutson, a former primary school teacher, registered Wonky Star Ltd in London in July 2011. Their first product was a drawing app for iPad, and in 2013 The Guardian listed Night Zookeeper Teleporting Torch among the 50 best apps of the year. In 2014 they opened a website with writing tasks, a progress dashboard and tutor feedback, which schools used first.

Oxford University Press bought a fiction series based on the brand in 2017, and the books later grew to six titles. Sky Kids commissioned a 10-episode animated series that started in 2019, with characters and ideas sent in by children. The at-home programme grew during the pandemic, the iPad app arrived in September 2024 and the iPhone app in 2025. In 2025 the company employed 21 people on average and reported net liabilities of £771,772.

History

  1. 2011 Wonky Star Ltd is registered in London on 15 July.
  2. 2013 The Guardian and The Observer list Night Zookeeper Teleporting Torch among the 50 best apps of 2013.
  3. 2014 Launches the nightzookeeper.com website with writing tasks, tutor feedback and a dashboard.
  4. 2015 Nominated for a British Academy Children’s Award in Learning – Primary.
  5. 2016 Wins Best for Literacy at the Bett Awards, in the exhibitor category judged by pupils.
  6. 2017 Oxford University Press acquires a Night Zookeeper fiction series in November.
  7. 2018 The first book, The Giraffes of Whispering Wood, comes out in January. Sky Kids commissions 10 episodes in October.
  8. 2019 The animated series starts on Sky platforms and Now TV in February.
  9. 2024 Releases the iPad app on the App Store in September.
  10. 2025 Releases the iPhone app and adds Quests, which later come to every device.
  11. 2026 Moves its registered office to Chalton Street, London, in February. The app adds a Spelling Grand Prix and a new writing tool.

Leadership

  • Joshua Davidson Co-founder, managing director and author of the book series
  • Paul Hutson Co-founder and education director, a former primary school teacher

Companies House lists 5 active directors of Wonky Star Ltd: Joshua Davidson, Paul Hutson, Simon Burman, Samuel Davidson and Xingnu Li.

How Night Zookeeper lessons work

a week minimum, the company advises
30 min
target time for tutor feedback
48 h
ages, with Easy Mode for 5 to 7
6–12
  • Draw your own character
  • Vocabulary and spelling games
  • Grammar and punctuation challenges
  • Reading comprehension
  • Writing in all main genres
  • Tutor feedback on every piece
  • Weekly writing competitions
  • Parent dashboard and assignments
  • Monthly printable worksheets
  • Audio captions and Easy Mode

What Night Zookeeper teaches

Reading3

  • Vocabulary
  • Reading comprehension
  • Short stories with audio support

Writing skills5

  • Spelling
  • Grammar
  • Punctuation
  • Sentence building
  • Typing

Writing genres7

  • Stories
  • Newspaper articles
  • Persuasive writing
  • Reports
  • Instructions
  • Poetry
  • Letters

English only, with British or American spelling chosen by country at sign-up. Easy Mode puts games first for children aged 5 to 7.

Products

  • Online programme Lessons, skill challenges and word games in the browser, set by age and difficulty level, plus weekly writing assignments that parents or the programme choose. How it works
  • iPad and iPhone app The same account on iPad and iPhone, with Quests, mini games and the Spelling Grand Prix. Rated 4.6 from 586 ratings on the US App Store. App Store
  • Tutor feedback Qualified tutors read every piece of writing before it is published and leave comments, aiming to reply within 48 hours. Parents see the feedback in the dashboard. Support FAQ
  • Classroom account Free for teachers: the weekly writing challenge, tutor feedback and printables. A 14-day trial opens the full programme with assignments and a teacher dashboard. For teachers
  • Book series Six Night Zookeeper Adventures novels by Joshua Davidson, the first four published by Oxford University Press, in print and as eBooks. About the books

How much is Night Zookeeper?

  • Monthly, US $14.99/mo $14.99 a month, billed monthly Base monthly price
  • 3 months, US $12.33/mo $36.99, billed every 3 months Save 18% vs Monthly, US
  • Lowest US price Yearly, US $9.99/mo $119.90 a year, billed yearly Save 33% vs Monthly, US
  • Monthly, UK £11.99/mo £11.99 a month, billed monthly Base monthly price
  • 3 months, UK £9.33/mo £27.99, billed every 3 months Save 22% vs Monthly, UK
  • Yearly, UK £8.33/mo £99.99 a year, billed yearly Save 31% vs Monthly, UK
  • Classroom Free writing features for teachers
  • Schools and districts Quote from sales@nightzookeeper.com

Is Night Zookeeper free?

Every family plan starts with a 7-day free trial, and cancelling within the trial costs nothing. Teachers keep a free classroom account with writing features after a 14-day full trial.

Prices on the nightzookeeper.com checkout on 7 October 2026 for one child, in US dollars and pounds sterling, the same as the App Store in-app prices for the US and UK. Each plan renews automatically. The site sells in other currencies too, such as €12.99 a month in the eurozone. 2 or 3 children cost $154.99 or £119.99 a year, $17.99 or £14.99 a month.

How to cancel Night Zookeeper

Terms
  • Parent dashboard ↗
    1. Log in at dashboard.nightzookeeper.com
    2. Open Manage Account
    3. Change or cancel the subscription
  • App Store ↗
    1. Use this route if you subscribed in the iPad or iPhone app
    2. Open your Apple subscription settings
    3. Cancel Night Zookeeper there
  • Cancelling during the 7-day trial means the card is not charged.
  • Cancellations and plan changes take effect from the next renewal date.
  • To remove a child profile, email support@nightzookeeper.com. The child’s data is then deleted for good.

Refund rules

After the trial
A full refund only within 24 hours after the trial ends. Later cancellations stop the next payment.
Unused time
No prorated refunds for the rest of a monthly or yearly subscription.
Outages
If the site is down through the company’s fault for more than 72 hours, it refunds that time.
Disputes
Laws of England, English courts.

From the Night Zookeeper terms of 1 January 2023 and the support page, checked on 7 October 2026.

Night Zookeeper for schools

For teachers
  • 01A free classroom account keeps the weekly writing challenge, tutor feedback and weekly printables.
  • 02The full programme adds spelling, grammar and reading lessons, assignments and progress reports.
  • 03Tutors read and grade every piece of student writing.
  • 04Aligned with the US and UK curricula for ages 6 to 12.

Classroom account free after a 14-day trial of the full programme. Prices for schools, districts, charters and homeschool co-ops on request.

Ratings

4.5Trustpilot · Excellent 1,067 reviews · company profile claimed

Night Zookeeper app

Released
25 September 2024
Version
2.5, 5 October 2026
Devices
iPad and iPhone, iOS 15 or later
Age rating
4+
Price
Free download, subscription inside

Is Night Zookeeper worth it?

What parents like

What parents criticise

What parents write in reviews, not our rating. A family plan costs from $9.99 or £8.33 a month on the yearly plan, after a 7-day free trial.

Night Zookeeper reviews

  • Night Zookeeper is very interactive
    “The feedbacks from tutors are helpful and based on such any improvements needed is clearly understood.”
    Jazlene · 1 October 2026 · App Store
  • Way too easy for grade level
    “6th grade had kindergarten-level lessons even when specifically picking the hard lessons”
    mills · 24 September 2026 · App Store
  • Parents beware of the subscription
    “I asked for a refund and was told no, citing a 24-hour policy.”
    customer · 8 September 2026 · App Store

Latest news

  1. Creativity in the age of AI, Night Zookeeper blog
  2. Sky Kids commissions 10 episodes of Night Zookeeper for 2019
  3. OUP snaps up The Night Zookeeper, The Bookseller
  4. Night Zookeeper’s magical zoo offers kids a new way to create and play, The Guardian

Contacts and company data

Legal entity
Wonky Star Ltd, 41-43 Chalton Street, London NW1 1JD, United Kingdom
Company number
07706300, England and Wales
Incorporated
15 July 2011
Activity
SIC 85590 other education, 90030 artistic creation
Employees
21 on average in 2025, 25 in 2024
Balance sheet 2025
Net liabilities of £771,772 at 31 December 2025, small company accounts

Alternatives to Night Zookeeper

How we built this profile

  1. Sources. Facts come from the company’s own website, press room, imprint and careers page, from Wikipedia, the App Store, Google Play and Trustpilot. Every source is listed on the page.
  2. Checks. Kinescope checked every number on 7 October 2026. Prices, ratings and job counts change, and we refresh them with each update.
  3. Our words. Descriptions are written by the Kinescope team. Quotes from reviews are marked with the author and source, and we do not rate the company ourselves.
  4. Corrections. The company can send new facts or corrections, and we update the profile.

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Night Zookeeper FAQ

On 7 October 2026, for one child: $14.99 a month, $36.99 every 3 months or $119.90 a year in the US, and £11.99 a month, £27.99 every 3 months or £99.99 a year in the UK. 2 or 3 children cost $154.99 or £119.99 a year.

Family plans start with a 7-day free trial, and cancelling during the trial costs nothing. Teachers get a free classroom account with the weekly writing challenge, tutor feedback and printables. School plans are priced on request.

Ages 6 to 12, or Grades 1 to 6 in the US and Years 1 to 6 in the UK. Easy Mode for children aged 5 to 7 puts games first. Parents can change the level in the dashboard.

A child draws an animal character, then plays vocabulary, spelling and grammar games and writes stories, reports and poems from prompts. A tutor reads each piece and leaves feedback, aiming for 48 hours. The company advises at least 30 minutes a week.

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