Short answer: A children's book storyboard is a set of small, rough sketches, one box per page or spread, that plans the whole book before any final art. For a 32-page picture book, draw 1 box for page 1, 15 boxes for the spreads (pages 2–3 to 30–31) and 1 box for page 32, or use the 14-spread plan in our example below. In each box, note the story beat, the text and a quick art idea. Then test the page turns.
Each box holds:
Stick figures are fine. The goal is planning, not pretty art.
Mix them. A book of only full-bleed spreads can feel flat.
This is an example only. The story is invented for this guide ("Pip and the Runaway Kite", about 450 words, ages 3–6) and shows one common 32-page layout. Publishers and printers vary: some use page 1 for the title, others put the title on a spread; some books have self-ended papers, others separate endpapers. Check your printer's template before you start.
Story in one line: Pip, a small mouse, loses her new kite in the wind, chases it across town, and finds that her friends have caught it.
| Pages | Spread type | Story beat | Text (draft) | Art note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Single | Title page | Pip and the Runaway Kite | Pip holding a bright red kite, lots of white space |
| 2–3 | Single + single | Copyright (p2) / dedication (p3) | Legal text / dedication | Small vignette of the kite string trailing across p3 |
| 4–5 | Full-bleed | Opening: Pip gets a new kite | "Pip had a brand-new kite. It was red, and it was hers." | Wide view of Pip's hill and the town below; establish setting |
| 6–7 | Vignettes | Pip tries to fly it | "She ran. It flopped. She ran faster. It flopped again." | 3–4 small Pip-running vignettes; humor |
| 8–9 | Full-bleed | Success! | "Then the wind came." | Kite soaring, Pip lifted onto tiptoes; big, bright spread |
| 10–11 | Single + single | The string slips | "Whoosh! The string slipped through her paws." | Left: close-up of paws; right: kite shrinking into the sky. Page turn = suspense |
| 12–13 | Full-bleed | Pip chases it | "Come back!" | Pip racing downhill, kite small in the sky; strong diagonal |
| 14–15 | Panel split | Through the market | "Past the bakery. Past the fruit stall. Past Mr Hedge's hat." | 3 panels, each a near-miss; the hat flies off in the last |
| 16–17 | Full-bleed | Midpoint: kite lost over the river | "The kite was gone." | Quiet, cooler palette, Pip tiny at the river's edge; little text |
| 18–19 | Single + single | Pip feels sad | "Pip sat down. She did not feel like running anymore." | Left: close-up, drooping ears; right: empty sky. Emotional low point |
| 20–21 | Full-bleed | A clue | "Then she saw something red in the big oak tree." | Wide tree scene; hide a tiny red shape for children to spot |
| 22–23 | Vignettes | Pip climbs | "Up… and up… and UP." | Climbing sequence moving up the page; text follows the climb |
| 24–25 | Single + single | Twist (set up by the turn) | "But someone had got there first…" | Left: Pip reaching the top; right: shadows. Page turn = reveal |
| 26–27 | Full-bleed | Reveal: her friends caught it | "SURPRISE! Her friends were holding the kite!" | Bright, warm, all friends together; biggest color moment |
| 28–29 | Full-bleed | Flying it together | "This time, everyone held the string." | Friends on the hill, kite high; mirrors spread 8–9 |
| 30–31 | Single + single | Calm ending | "And the kite stayed right where it belonged." | Sunset; left: kite tied to Pip's bed; right: Pip asleep |
| 32 | Single | Closing image | (no text) | Small vignette: the kite string drawn as a heart |
Why it works: two page-turn hooks (10–11 and 24–25); the emotional low (16–19) sits before the climb and reveal; spread 28–29 echoes 8–9 so the ending feels complete; spread types vary every one or two spreads.
Paper is fastest for brainstorming: fold a sheet into boxes and sketch. Digital (Procreate, Canva, Keynote or PowerPoint) is easier to reorder and share. Our advice: start on paper, then move to digital once the sequence is set.
At US Illustrations, authors approve the full storyboard before final art begins.
Planning a picture book? See picture book illustration, book cover illustration and pricing, or read how much a children's book illustrator costs. You can start with a free colored sample.
At US Illustrations the storyboard is its own stage: sketches for the whole book come before line art and color, and you approve the full storyboard before final art. See the steps on how we work. In our case studies, you can follow books from sketches to finished pages, for example Hopping Through Life (13 sketch spreads, 17 final spreads), My Grandpa is a VIP (from the author's text outline to 28 sketches) and The Magic Lovey (sketches for every page, then layout and storyboard). The standard timeline is about 4–6 weeks per book. If you need a print-ready book, layout is an add-on that includes interior pages, print-ready book design, print-ready files and a free Amazon publishing consultation (see illustration pricing). Budgets are explained in what a children's book illustrator costs.
A set of rough sketches, one box per page or spread, that plans the whole book before final art. It shows the story beat, text placement and composition for each page, and where the page turns fall.
It depends on the layout. One common plan gives page 1 and page 32 as single pages with 15 spreads between them. Our example uses 14 story spreads after the title and copyright pages. Always check your printer's template.
Yes, but you do not need a special one. A simple table with one row per spread is all you need, with columns for spread type, story beat, text, art note and page-turn hook.
Yes. Stick figures, simple shapes and written notes are enough. Many authors send a written scene breakdown and let the illustrator draw the visual storyboard.
A storyboard is a flat plan of all pages on one sheet or screen. A dummy is a folded, bound mock-up (8 sheets folded = 32 pages) that you read like a real book to test the page turns.
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