The Joy of Watching Children Create Stories

The Joy of Watching Children Create Stories

​This summer vacation was filled with many meaningful accomplishments. One of the most memorable was the book-making project we conducted at summer camp.

Daniel embarked on this project, writing and illustrating his first children's book. It started with a simple idea, but gradually, as he built the story, created characters, and planned scenes, the book gradually took shape.

Every creative process begins with sketches and notes. Daniel also created storyboards, personally crafting each scene and perfecting the narrative flow. The result was a whimsical and delightful story, "The Magical Fart God," filled with humor and imagination.

The story's protagonist is a "cat god" with unique powers. While the story begins with playful and bizarre events, it concludes with a heartwarming and happy ending. The illustrations and dialogue were all Daniel's own, and the original storyboards were translated into picture book pages to capture the fun and uniqueness of the storyboards.

​The book is currently undergoing design and editing, and is ready to be released to the world. Through this project, Daniel has experienced not only the story but also the entire process of creating a book.

This special book, completed this summer, will be an unforgettable memory for Daniel and will bring laughter and warmth to all who read it.

​Discover the joy and wonder of watching children create their own picture books—full of laughter, imagination, and limitless creativity.

Whenever I see children creating their own picture books, it feels like a small celebration. As they begin to write, they burst into laughter, tossing ideas back and forth, and constantly spreading their wings of imagination. Watching them in those moments fills me with pure joy.

They are like treasure chests of ideas. I often find myself wondering, “How did they come up with something so surprising?” Their imagination is so fresh and inventive that even the simplest, most ordinary things transform into entirely new worlds in their hands. What might seem trivial to an adult becomes the sparkling seed of a story when it passes through their creative minds.

When I sit with them and start building a story together, I realize something important: perhaps the books we adults read and write have become too structured, too confined within predictable boundaries. In contrast, children’s stories have no fixed rules, no limits, and no hesitation. They simply flow wherever their curiosity takes them, filling the room with laughter, wonder, and delight.
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That’s why my time spent creating stories with children is so precious to me. It’s not just about learning how to make a book—it’s about seeing the world through fresh eyes, rediscovering creativity and curiosity that we, as adults, may have forgotten. The stories they create are more than just children’s books. They are gifts—precious reminders of the joy of imagination that none of us should ever lose.