You have a picture-book idea, a beginning you love, and a funny ending. But what happens on the pages between them? A picture book storyboard helps you find out before you spend time polishing every sentence or commissioning illustrations.
It doesn’t have to be artistic. A useful storyboard can be a collection of rough boxes, a few words about each scene, and notes about what the reader should see when they turn the page. Below is a practical method, a complete 32-page planning example, and a free picture book page planner you can use right in your browser.
Open WhistlePig’s Free Children’s Picture Book Page Planner — plan 24-, 32-, 40-, or 48-page interiors, add story text and illustration notes, then print or download your notes. No account or purchase is required.
What is a picture book storyboard?
A storyboard is a visual plan of the story’s sequence. For a picture book, each box represents a page or a pair of facing pages. You can record the scene’s purpose, the text, the picture idea, and what makes a reader want to turn the page.
Authors and illustrators sometimes call a rough, assembled version of a picture book a dummy. A storyboard is a useful step toward that dummy. The storyboard lets you rearrange scenes quickly; the dummy lets you experience the rhythm of a book by physically turning its pages.
The point isn’t to draw polished artwork. Stick figures, circles, arrows, and written notes are enough. You’re checking whether the story works as a book, not whether your drawing skills are ready for publication.
Step 1: Choose a working page count
Thirty-two interior pages is a familiar picture-book format, but it isn’t a universal rule. A shorter or longer book may suit your story and intended printing method. For context, see how many pages a children’s picture book should have.
Important: 32 pages means 32 interior pages, not 32 story pages plus a title page, copyright page, and dedication. Those elements use interior space too. The cover is separate. If you plan to publish a hardcover, verify that your printer supports the page count; KDP and IngramSpark have different hardcover options.
As of November 2026, Amazon KDP’s official paperback guidelines list a 24-page minimum for many paperback configurations, while standard-color options have different minimums. IngramSpark’s file requirements also explain that its print workflow adds a barcode page. A storyboard is a planning aid, not a substitute for checking the final printer specifications.
Step 2: Think in page turns, not just paragraphs
In a typical left-to-right printed book, page 1 appears alone on the right. Pages 2 and 3 face each other; then pages 4 and 5, and so on. Page 32 is a single left-hand page at the end. A two-page spread can show one continuous scene or two connected moments.
That physical structure creates opportunities:
- Anticipation: End a spread with a question or surprise the next turn answers.
- Contrast: Put a tiny character in a huge scene, then turn to a close-up.
- Repetition with change: Repeat a visual pattern, but make each attempt meaningfully different.
- Quiet: Give an emotional moment space rather than covering every illustration with words.
Don’t force a cliffhanger onto every spread. Some page turns should be funny, some surprising, and some simply satisfying.
Step 3: Give each spread one main job
Before writing polished dialogue, summarize what happens on each spread in one sentence. Does it establish a problem, show an attempt, complicate the situation, reveal a discovery, or pay off something earlier?
Then add two more notes: What can the picture show without the text explaining it? and Why would a child want to turn the page?
For example, rather than writing “Fern was sad because nobody could hear her drum,” you might write:
Text: “Fern gave her drum one mighty tap. Plip.”
Picture: A tiny frog with an enormous determined expression; all the other animals are looking the wrong way.
Page turn: Fern tries a much bigger drum.
The words carry the sound and the joke. The illustration supplies the reaction. Together, they do more than either could alone.
Step 4: Try this 32-page picture book storyboard example
Here is an original sample story, Fern and the Very Quiet Drum. Fern, a little frog, wants to join the forest parade, but her drum barely makes a sound. The example is deliberately a planning sketch, not a finished manuscript. You can borrow the structure for your own story without borrowing the plot.
This sample assigns pages 1–3 to opening material and page 32 to a closing note. Your layout may use those pages differently.
| Interior pages | Story or page purpose | Illustration / page-turn idea |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Title page | Fern’s tiny drum hangs from a reed |
| 2–3 | Copyright and dedication / optional opening art | Forest animals prepare for a parade |
| 4–5 | Fern wants to march in the parade | Big drums and trumpets dwarf her little drum |
| 6–7 | Her first drumbeat is almost silent | “Plip.” Nobody notices |
| 8–9 | Fern tries tapping harder | The drum wobbles; her cheeks puff out |
| 10–11 | She borrows a bigger drum | It’s so large she cannot carry it |
| 12–13 | She tries marching faster | The parade moves ahead without her |
| 14–15 | Fern sits beside a quiet pond | A beetle peeks from beneath a leaf |
| 16–17 | She notices shy animals hiding from the noise | Several tiny creatures cover their ears |
| 18–19 | Fern plays a gentle beat for them | One beetle begins to sway |
| 20–21 | More animals join her | A miniature parade forms behind Fern |
| 22–23 | The big parade reaches a narrow bridge | The loud instruments cannot cross together |
| 24–25 | Fern’s quiet rhythm helps everyone cross in turns | Animals follow her careful, steady beat |
| 26–27 | Both parades meet on the other side | Big and tiny marchers share the path |
| 28–29 | Fern realizes her sound belongs | Her little drum leads a soft final verse |
| 30–31 | A warm, funny ending | The smallest beetle carries a drum even tinier than Fern’s |
| 32 | Closing illustration or author note | One last “Plip.” |
Notice how the turning point grows out of Fern’s original problem. She doesn’t suddenly become loud. She discovers that her quiet drum is useful. That makes the ending feel connected to the beginning.
Also notice that not every spread needs the same amount of text. Pages 14–15 could be nearly wordless, allowing the reader to notice the hidden animals before Fern does.
Step 5: Use the free page planner to test your own story
- Open the free Children’s Picture Book Page Planner.
- Enter a working title and select an interior length: 24, 32, 40, or 48 pages.
- Set an optional target story word count. Treat it as a planning target, not a rule.
- Choose a planning view and create the page map.
- For each page, add its role, draft text, and illustration or scene notes.
- Use the planning-notes area for recurring objects, character continuity, and questions to resolve.
- Print the planner or download your notes as a text file before leaving the browser.
The planner can also save work on the current device, but that browser storage may be cleared or unavailable in private browsing. For an important project, download or print a copy. The tool is free and does not require an account; it is not a print-ready book interior.
Step 6: Make a paper dummy and read it aloud
Even with an online planner, there’s value in folding or stapling a rough booklet. Label all 32 interior pages, including pages reserved for front and back matter. Put the words and a tiny sketch on each page. Then turn the pages at a child’s reading pace.
Watch for three common problems:
- Too much happens before the first turn: Move background explanation into the illustration or introduce the problem earlier.
- Several spreads repeat the same beat: Combine attempts or make each new attempt change the situation.
- The ending arrives without preparation: Plant a small clue, image, or idea earlier that pays off near the end.
Read the text aloud without describing the pictures. Then review it with the pictures in mind. If the words and artwork both say exactly the same thing, consider letting one carry more of the work.
Step 7: Check practical publishing details before illustrating
Once the storyboard feels right, decide on trim size, binding, and printer before commissioning final artwork. A square page and a tall portrait page produce very different compositions. Our guide to children’s book sizes explains the tradeoffs.
Reserve space for the title, copyright, and any closing material. Our children’s book copyright-page guide can help you plan that page. Don’t assume the printer’s final blank-page or barcode requirements match a traditional hardcover’s endpaper layout.
Before you approve a finished interior, check the printer’s current page-count rules, bleed and safe areas, then order a physical proof. The storyboard tells you what belongs on each page; the proof shows what actually happens when those pages are printed and bound.
Picture book storyboard checklist
- Every page has a purpose, even if it contains no story text.
- The opening introduces a character and a reason to keep reading.
- Each attempt or discovery changes the situation.
- The pictures contribute information the words don’t need to repeat.
- Page turns create curiosity, surprise, humor, or emotional emphasis.
- The ending pays off something planted earlier.
- Title, copyright, dedication, and closing material fit within the planned interior.
- The selected printer supports the planned length and format.
- A printed or downloaded backup of the plan exists.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to know how to draw to storyboard a picture book?
No. A short description such as “wide view of the forest; Fern looks tiny” can be more useful than a polished drawing at the planning stage. The storyboard’s job is to clarify pacing, composition, and page turns.
Is a 32-page storyboard the same as 16 two-page spreads?
Not in a typical left-to-right book. Page 1 and page 32 are single pages; the facing pairs are 2–3, 4–5, and so on through 30–31. That gives you 15 facing-page pairs plus two single pages. How much of that space is used for story depends on your design.
Should I write the entire manuscript before making a storyboard?
Either approach can work. Some authors draft the story first and discover the page turns afterward. Others sketch the sequence and write the text around the visual beats. Try both if your first approach feels stuck.
Can I use the page planner for a 24- or 40-page book?
Yes. WhistlePig’s free planner supports 24, 32, 40, and 48 interior pages. The same principles apply, but the number of available scenes and the printer’s requirements may change.
Start with a rough plan, not perfect artwork
A good picture book storyboard gives you permission to experiment cheaply. Move a scene, combine two spreads, cut an explanation, or let an illustration deliver the joke. It’s much easier to change a few notes than to redo a set of finished illustrations.
Try the free picture book page planner, or browse more free author resources at WhistlePig Publishing. Your next step doesn’t need to be a perfect page. It can be a box with a sentence inside it.