This free tool turns your kid’s pencil drawing into a 10-page storybook that reads itself aloud

July 28, 2026

By Kim Komando

I asked Barry to draw a monster. He didn’t ask why. He just drew. (You know you’ve been married a long time when the other person does what you want without asking a single question.)

Two minutes later, his blue-pen beast became Ziggy, the star of a real 10-page storybook: Ziggy’s Great Big Connection. It’s a tale about how tech is wonderful, but real people are the best connection of all. There’s a link at the end to see it.

Google’s free, truly amazing Storybook tool inside Gemini takes one photo of a pencil drawing, then writes and illustrates a 10-page picture book around it. It even reads the story aloud. Total time: about two minutes. The look on your kid’s face: permanent.

📖 How to do it

1. Snap a clear photo of the drawing in good light, one masterpiece per photo.
2. Go to gemini.google.com/gem/storybook, or open the Gemini app and pick Storybook under Gems.
3. Upload the photo and paste this prompt: “This is my kid’s drawing. She’s 7. Write a creative storybook that brings her drawing to life, and illustrate it in the style of her drawing.” That first part is Google’s own suggested prompt. The style request at the end is my twist, so the book looks like HER book, not a stock cartoon.
4. Give it a minute or two. Out comes a 10-page book with art on every page and a Listen button that narrates it. You can even change the reader’s voice.
5. Tap Share, then Print and save it as a PDF. Print it at home, or upload that PDF to a photo-book site and turn it into a hardcover keepsake. If your printer jams halfway through, relax. Every good story needs a little conflict.

Make it theirs: Ask for your kid’s name as the hero, the family dog as the sidekick or a lesson baked in (“trying new foods,” “being brave at the dentist”). Want a different look? Storybook does comic book, claymation, crochet, even a coloring-book version the artists can fill in themselves.

🤖 Rather use ChatGPT?

Upload the drawing photo and paste: “Write a 10-page illustrated children’s storybook starring this character. Keep the drawing’s exact look, one picture per page, then make it a printable PDF.” You get the pages and the file, ready to print.

Two FYIs. Gemini’s Storybook requires an adult account, so this is a do-it-together project with you at the wheel. And read the book once before bedtime. AI still improvises, and you want to see the plot twist before your 6-year-old does.

One tip from me: Tuck the original drawing inside the back cover of the printed book, with the date on it. Twenty years from now, that’s not a book. That’s a time machine.

😈 In case you want the book I created, it’s here on my site and free. I know you like that price.

🎯 Send this to someone who has a budding Picasso, a printer and a bedtime routine.

📱 Text-worthy: Upload a photo of your kid’s drawing to Gemini’s free Storybook tool (gemini.google.com/gem/storybook), and it writes AND illustrates a 10-page book about it. In the kid’s own art style. It even reads it aloud. Bedtime just got an upgrade.