In mid 2024, when image generation models first started getting good, I started imagining how kids could create their own picture books, by letting their family be the heroes of their story.
Magicbook has now been used by thousands of families on the web, and will be available on the App Store soon.
I wanted Magicbook to feel like a real picture book, not a webpage. So I built a custom ThreeJS book viewer with a tactile page-flip and sound effects I recorded with actual books around my house — inspired by the way the original Paper 53 iPad app made digital tools feel physical.
"I love Magicbook because it's the first time I've seen my kids use technology to create instead of just consume. Instead of zoning out on YouTube or endless games, they're building their own characters, imagining worlds, and actually telling stories. It feels like screen time I can finally feel good about." — Louise Phillips