Welcome to Day 24 of 40 craft lessons from 40 picture books.
An interactive picture book invites young readers to participate in the story. Through activities like tapping or blowing on the page, shaking or tilting the book, or clapping their hands, the reader isn’t just a listener but an active part of the storytelling.
The main challenge in writing an interactive picture book is finding a balance. The interactions alone won’t make a story—the story should make the story. The interactive elements serve as an extra layer to deepen the story’s engagement, not to replace it.
The story of Boo Crew Needs You! (2023, Vicky Fang, Saoirse Lou) happens on Halloween night. But things go wrong, and even the Boo team—a ghost, a skeleton, a vampire—cannot save Halloween. The team invites the reader to help them in playful tasks like fixing crooked haunted houses, repairing broken pumpkins, and making them an essential part of the story’s adventure.
Interactive picture books make reading a more immersive and playful experience for young readers, far beyond simply being read to. The key is to just find a good story!
I hope reading this blog post has given you new ideas. See you tomorrow for Day 25. If you would like to read these 40 craft lessons on WhatsApp, please join the channel.
