Childrens Book Creator

Overview

Create original, age-appropriate children's book manuscripts with a clear structure (brief → outline → page plan → draft → revision) and optional illustration guidance (art direction + per-spread prompts).

Quick Start (5 questions)

Ask these first, then proceed through the workflow:

• •Target reader age range (e.g., 2–4, 4–6, 6–8, 8–12)
• •Format (picture book / early reader / chapter book / middle grade)
• •Target length (words + page count if relevant)
• •Tone + theme (funny, cozy, adventurous; what feeling should remain?)
• •Illustrations? (yes/no; style references and constraints)

If the user has no preferences, default to: picture book, ages 3–7, 32 pages, 300–600 words, humorous or warm tone.

Non-Negotiables

• •Write an original story; do not imitate or reuse copyrighted characters, worlds, or distinctive proprietary styles.
• •Keep language age-appropriate; avoid graphic harm and adult themes.
• •Prefer “show” over moralizing; keep lessons implicit unless requested.

Illustrated Book Defaults (when user wants writing + art)

• •Use the full pipeline in order: brief -> bible -> outline -> page plan -> manuscript -> art prompts -> image generation -> QA -> final package.
• •Keep one source of truth for continuity (character lock + palette + props) and reuse it everywhere.
• •Use deterministic file naming for page art: <slug>-page-00-cover.png, <slug>-page-01.png, etc.
• •Keep image prompts per page explicit; do not rely on shorthand like "same character lock" between JSONL lines.

Consistency-First Illustration Workflow (recommended)

• •Approve 1-2 canonical character reference images before bulk rendering.
• •Start with generation for composition, then switch to targeted edits for failed pages.
• •Prefer editing (images.edit) over full rerenders when identity/style drift appears.
• •Use input_fidelity=high for strict character-preservation edits.
• •Use masks for localized fixes (face/hands/prop) instead of replacing the whole page.
• •QA in small batches (2-3 pages), not only at the end of all pages.
• •Regenerate only flagged pages; avoid touching already-approved pages.

Escalation rule:

• •If 2+ pages in a batch show cast/species/style drift, stop full-page generation and move to edit-first repair with reference images.

Workflow

0) Scaffold a book project (optional, recommended)

Run the scaffold script to create a structured workspace (brief, outline, manuscript, page plan, art prompts):

• •python3 scripts/new_book_project.py --title "My Book Title" --format picture-book --age "3-7" --page-count 32 --out books

This creates books/<slug>/ with starter files you can fill in during the steps below.

1) Write the brief (1 page)

Produce book_brief.md with:

• •One-sentence premise (character + want + obstacle)
• •Audience + format + target word count
• •Promise of the book (what the reader gets: laughs, comfort, wonder)
• •Character list (1–3 leads) and what each wants
• •Setting + constraints (time/place, taboo topics, vocabulary constraints)

If unsure about format/length norms, consult references/formats.md.

2) Build the book bible (consistency)

Produce characters.md and (if illustrated) art_direction.md:

• •Voice: narration POV, tense, read-aloud rhythm notes
• •Characters: name, look, quirks, fears, catchphrases (if any), growth arc
• •Continuity rules: colors, props, recurring visual gags, scale notes

If illustrated, consult references/illustration-brief.md.

3) Outline the story (beats)

Create outline.md in a beat format appropriate to the chosen format:

• •Picture book: setup → problem → attempts → escalation → twist → resolution → cozy landing
• •Early reader/chapter: chapter beats and mini-cliffhangers

Make stakes child-sized but emotionally real.

4) Create a page plan / spread plan

For picture books, create page_plan.md as 12–14 spreads (each spread = 2 pages) with:

• •Spread goal (what changes)
• •Text (1–4 short lines) + optional refrain
• •Illustration note (what must be visible to carry meaning/joke)

If you need a 32-page map, consult references/page-plans.md.

5) Draft the manuscript

Write manuscript.md aligned to the page plan.

Rules of thumb:

• •Prefer short sentences and concrete verbs.
• •Read aloud; fix tongue-twisters and awkward cadence.
• •Use repetition intentionally (refrains, patterns, rule-of-3).

6) Revise (2–3 passes)

Create revision_notes.md and do:

1. •Structure pass (clarity, stakes, payoff)
2. •Language pass (simplicity, rhythm, word economy)
3. •Sensitivity pass (representation, stereotypes, unintended messaging)

Use references/revision-checklist.md for a pass-by-pass checklist.

7) Illustrations (optional)

Create art_prompts.md:

• •Character sheet prompts (consistent outfit, colors, proportions)
• •Per-spread prompts that reference the character sheet + style guide
• •Negative prompts (what to avoid) and continuity reminders

If image generation is desired and available, use the imagegen skill after prompts are ready. For production runs and QA loops, follow references/illustrated-production.md.

Practical prompt rules:

• •Keep invariants short and explicit (who must appear, fixed outfit/props, what must never appear).
• •Keep style directives concise and stable across all pages.
• •Avoid overloading prompts with conflicting requirements.
• •For edit passes, include "change only X, keep Y unchanged" constraints.

8) Final package (optional, recommended for full-book requests)

• •Regenerate only flagged pages after QA; avoid rerunning clean pages unless the style lock changed.
• •Build a print-ready PDF from manuscript + page images.
• •Verify page count and spot-check multiple pages before delivery.

QA gate before final package:

• •Character identity continuity (face, age band, outfit, props).
• •World continuity (setting logic and recurring landmarks).
• •Visual sanity checks (hands, geometry, perspective, stray text/watermarks).
• •Page-to-page style consistency (line, texture, color treatment).

Resources (optional)

scripts/

Utilities for scaffolding a new book project.

references/

Quick reference docs for formats, page planning, illustration briefs, and revision checklists. For full illustrated production runs, load references/illustrated-production.md.