📚 Turn ideas into picture books with AI

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Hello AI Enthusiast,

Google's Gemini includes pre-built "Gems", specialised AI assistants designed for specific tasks and created by Google. One that caught our attention is the Storybook Gem, which can generate personalized stories on demand. These can be for children, adults, or anyone who wants a fresh tale.

The Problem

Coming up with fresh stories on demand is hard. You end up recycling the same plots, improvising repetitive tales, or wishing for something more tailored to a specific interest. Whether it’s for kids or adults, it helps to have a tool that can quickly generate a new story around your idea. In this newsletter, we’ll focus on one example: using it to create a bedtime story complete with moral lessons and age-appropriate content.

How Storybook Works

Let's walk through using Gemini's Storybook Gem to create a personalised bedtime story. For this example, we'll create a story about a young inventor learning about perseverance, but the process works for any theme or character your child loves.

Step 1: Access the Storybook Gem

First, you need Gemini Advanced (available through Google One AI Premium or Workspace accounts). Navigate to gemini.google.com and look for "Expolre Gems" in the left side panel. Click it to see Google's pre-built Gems.

Scroll through the available options until you find "Storybook". It should have a book icon. Click to open it, and you'll see a chat interface specifically designed for story creation.

Pro tip: If you can't find the Storybook Gem in your list, it might not be available in your region yet. Google is gradually rolling out different Gems to various locations.

Step 2: Set Up Your Story Parameters

The Storybook Gem works best when you give it clear direction about what kind of story you want. Rather than just saying "tell me a story," provide specific details about your child's age, interests, and what you want the story to accomplish. This is what we asked:

Create a bedtime story for a 6-year-old who loves building things and taking apart toys to see how they work. The main character should be a young inventor named Alex who faces a challenge when their creation doesn't work the first time. The story should teach about perseverance and that failure is part of learning. Keep it around 5 minutes of reading time, with a positive ending that feels earned, not just magically solved. Include some descriptive language about how things work mechanically, since that fascinates my kid.

Here’s a template version you can use:

Create a bedtime story for a [age]-year-old who loves [interests]. The main character should be [character description] who faces [type of challenge]. The story should teach about [lesson/value]. Keep it around [duration] of reading time, with [type of ending]. Include [special elements that engage your child].

Step 3: Review and Refine the Generated Story

The Storybook Gem will generate a complete story based on your prompt. Read through it to check if it hits the right tone, length, and message. The first version is usually pretty good, but you can refine it through conversation.

We got a story about Alex building a robot helper that kept falling apart. The story showed Alex trying different solutions, getting frustrated, and eventually succeeding through persistence. The mechanical descriptions were detailed enough to be interesting but not so technical that they'd confuse a 6-year-old.

If something isn't quite right, you can ask for specific changes. Here’s the edit we requested:

The ending feels a bit rushed. Can you expand the final scene where Alex's robot finally works, showing more of their excitement and what the robot actually does?

Step 4: Save Your Favorite Stories

When you get a story you really like, copy it into a document for future use. This way, when your child asks for "the robot story again," you have it ready without regenerating it.

You can also ask the Storybook Gem to create variations:

Create a sequel to the Alex story where they use their robot to help solve a different problem in their neighborhood.

Step 5: Adapt Stories for Different Occasions

The Storybook Gem isn't just for bedtime. It can be used to create:

• Road trip stories: Longer tales for car rides, with natural pause points at each chapter

• Educational stories: Tales that incorporate counting, colors, or other learning concepts

• Comfort stories: Gentle narratives for when a child is sick or anxious

• Holiday stories: Seasonal tales featuring familiar characters in new situations

Here’s another prompt we tried:

Create a 3-chapter adventure story about Jenny the bird going on a journey. Each chapter should be about 5 minutes of reading and end at a natural pause point. The story should teach about importance of freedom and include elements of curiosity.

Our Learnings after preparing this newsletter

After using the Storybook Gem we've noticed some patterns:

What works:

• Stories with clear moral lessons come out better than purely entertainment-focused tales

• Specific prompts about your child's interests produce more engaging content than generic requests

• The Gem handles age-appropriate language well when you specify the age

• Sequential stories (sequels or series) maintain good character consistency

What needs work:

• Very young children (under 4) might need simpler language than the Gem typically generates - specify "simple sentences" in your prompt

• The Gem sometimes defaults to overly descriptive prose - ask for "action-focused storytelling" if your kid prefers faster-paced stories

• Cultural specificity requires explicit prompting - mention if you want stories reflecting specific backgrounds or traditions

Your Turn

If you want fresh stories, for your child, a partner, or even yourself, try the Storybook Gem. Pick a theme or interest, add a value or message you’d like the story to carry, and use the template. Read the result, refine if needed, and save your favorites to build your own collection.

Want to get even more practical? Explore hands-on AI learning with AI Academy:

• AI Academy Membership: Get 12 months of access to all our cohort-based programs, live webinars, on-demand courses, and tutorials.

• AI Agent Bootcamp: Accelerate processes and solve business problems by mastering prompts and building AI Agents, without coding.

• Corporate Training: Equip your team with the skills they need to unlock the potential of AI in your business.

• Practical Introduction to ChatGPT: A free course on using ChatGPT confidently, understanding its workings, and exploring its potential.

We'll be back with more AI tips soon!