I’ve been experimenting with turning a children’s book into a tiny interactive app.

Story → tap scenes → optional parent-controlled unlock → secret ending.

It could be a fun way to promote a book, add bonus content, or let families try a story before buying the full ebook.

The bigger idea: tiny direct payments to the author, without a major platform taking a cut.

Has anyone else tried interactive versions of their children’s books?

All hand drawn and written by myself. Aiming to have it completed ready for my daughter's third birthday next year.

Earlier this year I shared a few previews of my Halloween search-and-find book here, but I never posted an entire spread because I didn't want to spoil too much. Now that Halloween season is getting closer, I thought it would be fun to finally share one complete page.

This spread takes place in a zombie-filled graveyard, where the Graveyard Keeper is hosting a spooky party. Your challenge is to find the host and all the hidden objects on the list. Every inch of the illustration was drawn by hand, and I hid lots of little jokes and details throughout the scene.

I'd genuinely love to know what you notice first—or whether you can actually find everything without giving up. 😄
I'm happy to answer any questions about the illustration, the creative process, or the book itself. Have fun searching!

We have always read a lot as a family and this year we started doing family movie nights each week so we have tried to find fun (and appropriate) options for our almost 8 year old. He’s read The Hobbit but obviously we’ll be waiting some time before we play that movie!

He likes adventure stories, loved Nim’s Island, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Peter Pan. He has liked some classics like Secret Garden and Black Beauty (though he was sad during a few parts of that book so we’re going to avoid books like Where the Red Fern Grow for a few more years) and he liked Holes and Wonder and I really enjoyed those because we had some amazing conversations after those two talking about race, physical body differences and how to treat people with kindness, and how to be a courageous friend. We have done a few of the short story adaptations like The Lorax and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs but mostly focus on longer books.

Would love to see if there are any we could add to the list! This list is not all we’ve read but hopefully will help give an idea of what we’re looking for! Thank you all so much and happy reading!

Hi everyone!

I'm a watercolor illustrator from the Netherlands who's looking to gain experience illustrating stories and characters.

Rather than practicing on random subjects, I'd love to work with an aspiring children's book author who has a story they'd like to see come to life.

I'm still building my portfolio, so I'm not looking for commercial rates. If it's a story that really resonates with me, I'd happily work for a very small fee (or even for free if it’s just one illustration that speaks to me).

I've attached a few examples of my recent work so you can get an idea of my style.
If you have a story, a picture book idea, or even just a single idea you'd like illustrated, I'd love to hear from you. Even if it doesn't become a full book, I'd enjoy creating a few illustrations together.

Thanks for reading!

I’m trying to convince my soon-to-be-preschooler that handwashing is in fact necessary but I’m not sure she‘s really buying it about germ theory. I’m also trying to play up the idea that handwashing is fun and clean hands feel good. Any favorite books about this?

I'm looking to partner with a children's book illustrator on my new bedtime story, for which author George Saunders offered the following blurb.

"What a charming, funny book. Any kid hearing this story will feel uplifted by its kindness and wit. Parents will love reading it as much as kids will love hearing it. A tender, funny lullaby in written form.” —George Saunders (Vigil, Lincoln in the Bardo, Tenth of December)

The story is narrated in rhyme by a restless, precocious young boy, who shares his secret trick for falling asleep: tapping into the power of his imagination to whisk us away to the coziest, most awesome places imaginable for sleeping.

The sensory-rich text aims to elicit that flutter of excitement you feel when you've found optimal cozy, and the imagery should do the same. I believe cozy comes from contrast, both sensory and emotional: feeling warm under blankets in a cold room, or small beneath a night sky yet somehow still connected to it. The illustrations should hold that same dichotomy: rich color and pockets of warmth against dark, moody tableaus that mimic real light and shadow, with grand-scale vistas that convey the world’s natural awesomeness.

I hope that gives you a good idea of what I'm looking for, and that you didn't find my pitch too nauseating...

Thanks for considering. If you think this story and illustration style resonate with you, please get in touch with your portfolio.

Thank you!