Draw a Storybook Picture: A Step-by-Step Guide for Kids

Every picture in a storybook shows one moment of the story. Learning to draw one is a lovely way for children to think about characters, places and feelings. All you need is paper, a pencil and something to colour with.

1. Pick one moment

Choose a single moment from a favourite story, or one you've made up. "Poppy finds the baby star in the tree" is a moment. "Poppy's whole adventure" is too much for one picture!

2. Start with simple shapes

Draw your character lightly using circles and ovals: a circle for the head, an oval for the body. Add ears, wings or a tail once the shapes look right. Pressing lightly means mistakes are easy to rub out.

3. Show how they feel

Faces tell the story. Big round eyes look surprised, curved-up eyes look happy, eyebrows slanting down look cross. Ask: how does my character feel at this moment?

4. Set the scene

Where are they? Draw a horizon line, then add a few big things (a tree, a hill, the moon) before small details. Leave some empty sky so the picture can breathe.

5. Colour it in

Choose a few colours that go together. Night scenes look magical in blues and purples with a yellow moon; sunny scenes in greens and golds. Watercolour paints give a soft storybook look.

A note about our own pictures

We use AI tools to help create our illustrations, and we choose, edit and check every picture ourselves. Our Creation Kit is different: it uses only studio-drawn stickers and backdrops, and has no AI image generator, so children decorate with art we've already checked.

Want step-by-step help drawing Poppy? Try the free art guides on Sparkle Tree Press.