| name | childrens-book-creator |
| description | End-to-end workflow for creating original children's books (picture books, early readers, chapter books) including brief, outline, page-by-page plan, manuscript drafting, revision checklists, and illustration/art direction prompts. Use when a user asks for help writing, outlining, revising, or planning a children's book; creating page breakdowns/spreads; generating illustration prompts; or scaffolding a book project folder with structured files. |
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:
- Structure pass (clarity, stakes, payoff)
- Language pass (simplicity, rhythm, word economy)
- 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 comfyui-image-gen for local/remote ComfyUI workflows or imagegen for hosted OpenAI image generation 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.