TSP-009 · 01 Write & shape
Picture Book Planner
Storyboard your children's book across the standard 32-page layout, spread by spread, word count and all.
TSP-009 · Picture Book Planner · Free / no account
Note ⊕Most picture books sit between 400 and 1,000 words — aim near 500. Your plan is saved in this browser only — nothing is uploaded.
Storyboard ready? Children’s books print beautifully in short, full-colour runs.
Get a print quoteA picture book is built to a fixed shape: almost always 32 pages, folded and bound in multiples of four, with the story unfolding over roughly fourteen spreads. This free picture book planner lays out that standard structure for you, so you can drop the words for each page into place, note what the illustrator should draw, and see your book the way a reader will turn through it.
It works as an interactive children's book template. Choose your format, type into each spread, and watch your running word count against the picture-book norm — most sit between 400 and 1,000 words. When your storyboard is ready, the page count feeds straight into production: pair it with the cover template generator and book spine width calculator, and see what a run will cost with the book printing cost calculator. New to all this? Start with our guide to how to write a children's book.
- Aim for around fourteen story spreads after your front matter — the classic 32-page shape.
- Keep most spreads to a sentence or two and let the pictures carry the rest.
- Use the illustration note on each page as a brief you can hand to an artist.
- Picture books print in multiples of four pages, so 24, 32 and 40 are printer-friendly.
- 01
Pick your format and page count
Choose board book, picture book (the 32-page standard) or early reader. The planner builds the spreads, marks your front matter and sets the word-count target for your format.
- 02
Write into each spread
Type the words for each page and a short note for the illustrator. Your running word count shows against the norm for the format, so you know when a spread is carrying too much text.
- 03
Save, copy or print
Your plan is saved in your browser automatically. Copy it as a clean text outline to share with an illustrator or editor, or print it, then take the page count to print.
Common questions
- How many pages should a picture book be?
- Almost always 32. Picture books are printed on large sheets folded into sections, so the page count has to be a multiple of four, and 32 is the industry standard. After three or four pages of front matter you are left with around fourteen spreads for the story. Shorter board books and longer early readers follow the same multiple-of-four rule.
- What is a spread in a picture book?
- A spread is the pair of facing pages a reader sees at once. It is the basic unit of a picture book, and the page-turn between spreads is your main tool for pacing and surprise. That is why this planner is organised by spread rather than by single page.
- How many words should a picture book have?
- Most picture books run between 400 and 1,000 words, and many modern ones sit under 600. Board books are usually under 100 words, and early readers around 1,500 to 3,000. The planner tracks your total against these ranges as you type, so you can keep the text tight.
- Is this a children's book template?
- Yes. It is an interactive template for the standard picture-book layout, with front matter and story spreads mapped out for you. To build the print-ready files you will also need your trim size, a cover template and your spine width, which our cover and spine tools generate.
- Is my plan saved?
- Your storyboard is saved automatically in your own browser using local storage, so it is there when you return on the same device. Nothing is uploaded and there is no account. Use the copy or print buttons to keep a permanent copy or share it.
Ready to print your book properly?
Run the numbers with our free tools, then print with real UK book printers.