The question that makes the book

I started making picture books for my son with AI, and the first ones missed.

The words were fine and the pictures were nice. They just weren't about him. I'd describe him the way you describe any kid, curious, funny, loves trucks, and get back a story about a curious, funny kid who loves trucks. Any kid.

What fixed it wasn't a better model. It was a better question. Instead of adjectives, I started writing down one moment: something he actually did, a time he was completely himself. And what he was working through right now, which became the story's problem instead of a moral tacked on at the end.

That turned into Little Fables. Every book starts with a short questionnaire a parent fills in, built around that one moment. AI drafts the story and the pictures. I read every story aloud and edit it, the parent approves the character before anything is printed, and I check each printed copy before it ships.

I keep seeing the same thing in hiring. AI can make anything polished. The part that makes it yours is the detail only you know.

If you're a parent and your kid is going through something right now, a new sibling, a first day, a move, that's when the questionnaire works best. I'd love to make one with you. The link is in the first comment.