How to find an idea for a children's book?

The blank page is a sneaky thing. You want to create a book for a child, you're pumped up and ready to go — and then… nothing. The idea won't come, or you've got a bunch of fuzzy directions that lead nowhere.

Good news: inspiration doesn't fall from the sky. You have to go looking for it. And there are concrete techniques to help you find it.

Watch the child for 10 minutes

This is the most underrated method, and yet the most effective.

Look at what's captivating them right now. Their favourite cuddly toy, dinosaurs, fire trucks, the little sister who drives them crazy, their fear of the dark, the cat that disappears for hours at a time… These are real subjects, emotionally charged for them.

A book about something they're genuinely living through will have ten times more impact than a generic story about a rabbit in a forest.

Also jot down their weird questions. "Why don't the stars fall?" "Do trees sleep?" These childlike questions are gold-mine starting points.

Start with an emotion, not a character

A lot of people kick things off with "I'm going to write a story with a dragon." The problem: a dragon with no conflict and no emotion is just… empty.

Try the opposite. Start with an emotion the child often feels:

The fear of going back to school
Jealousy when a new baby arrives
The pride of learning to ride a bike
The sadness of losing a pet
The excitement before a trip

Once you have the emotion, the character and the story follow naturally. A little boy jealous of his new brother? A monster under the bed who's actually scared of the dark himself? The ideas start clicking into place on their own.

The "what if…" trick that changes everything

Take something ordinary and flip it upside down with two words: "what if…"

What if socks really did disappear inside the washing machine?
What if the vegetables on your plate could talk?
What if Lou's cuddly toy had a secret life at night?
What if a child woke up with the power to understand animals?

This technique forces your brain to step outside reality. And kids absolutely love that: the familiar world turned on its head, absurd logic, magic hiding inside everyday things.

You can also explore children's story ideas — there are concrete starting points sorted by theme and age.

Borrow from story structures that work

You don't need to invent a narrative structure from scratch. The great classics of children's literature are built on 3 or 4 frameworks that work every single time:

The hero who overcomes their fear. The child faces something scary (the wolf, the dentist, the dark). They find the strength within themselves to move forward. A reassuring ending. The lost object that gets found. Simple, universal, beloved by little ones. The search gives the story a natural structure. I don't want to. The character refuses something (sleeping, eating, going to school) and discovers it's actually fine. Works brilliantly for ages 2–5. The unlikely friendship. Two very different characters become friends despite appearances. Perfect for exploring values without being preachy.

Once you have an emotion + a structure, your idea is already half built. To go deeper on narrative structure, the guide to writing a children's story walks through everything step by step.

What you're living is already a story

The best ideas are often right in front of you.

Your daughter's name that's a little tricky to carry, the family move, the grandfather who lives far away, that seaside holiday this summer, grandma's recipe… These true stories, lightly fictionalised, create unique books that a child will treasure for life.

A personalised book — with their name, their features, their loved ones — doesn't need a brilliant idea. It needs a true one.

On MakerBook that's exactly what we make possible: turning a simple idea (even a tiny one) into a real AI-illustrated book, personalised with the details that matter. The story of Max learning to swim? Of Léa who didn't like carrots? You start there, and MakerBook takes care of the rest.

Frequently asked questions

How do you come up with an original idea for a children's book?

Start with an emotion the child is genuinely experiencing, or use the "what if…" technique to flip something ordinary on its head. An original idea doesn't have to be complicated — it just has to ring true for the child you have in mind.

What's the best idea for a first children's book?

For a first book, keep it simple: one emotion, one character who's close to the child, a three-act structure (problem, twist, resolution). Overly ambitious ideas are usually the ones that never get finished.

Can you make a children's book without being a writer?

Yes, absolutely. Most children's books are 200 to 500 words long. What matters is the idea and the emotion, not literary style. Tools like MakerBook help you structure and illustrate the story without any technical skills.

How do you know if your idea is a good one?

Describe the idea in two sentences to the child it's for, or to someone close to them. If their eyes light up, you're onto something. If they seem indifferent, dig a little deeper — the right idea always sparks an immediate reaction.