I freely admit it. I use AI to create the images for my series of children’s books. I can’t draw. I can craft all day but put a pencil or paintbrush in my hands, and the only thing you’re going to get is a fully painted wall. You can add the art yourself.

I create my books using my own language. In fact, AI pushes back on me all the time:

• Tighten this framing
• Too folksy sounding
• Use 3 words instead of 5.
• blah, blah, blah.

Every time I have it review my writing for spelling and punctuation errors before I publish, I just tell it to turn that ‘feature’ off. Not interested in its take on my language skills.

I’m not writing a dissertation; I’m writing a story that a set of grandparents are sharing with their grandkids, about a great place they visited. And forget about that stupid -. AI wants to insert a – everywhere and practically in every sentence. I’m a comma girl myself and once in a while a semicolon. AI can keep its – to itself.

The reason I bring this up is I posted one of my latest books in a Facebook room that is supposed to be for parents to find books for children. A KidLit room.

The only comment I got was: EWWWW – AI slop!

Everyone has an opinion and good for this person with their ability to express it. However, while this may feel like rejection to some, (don’t really care about that), it got me thinking about the bigger picture. Isn’t the goal to get kids to pick up a book?

Even if they don’t read it and just leaf through it at first because they liked the pictures, a kid touched it instead of reaching for that screen. What if just the pictures were enough for them to grab it and look at it? Might they not want someone to read it to them if it looks interesting or fun?

This is the same reason I don’t create videos of Dave or me reading the stories. I don’t want a bunch of kids watching a video of me. I want the parent or the grandparent to read that story to them and make a memory. Start a conversation. Dream about an adventure they could do together.

I know this is all because I became a grandparent myself. Life has a way of continually teaching us lessons no matter what our age is. Why would I want some random person on a video reading to my grandkids? I want to do it. I want to make that memory with them myself. (Mine are all under 3 right now, but I’m getting prepped and ready to go when it’s time!)

So, my whole point on this post is just to think about what will get kids excited about picking up a book. Make a memory with them. Plan a trip. Dream about an adventure. Let’s get kids excited about books and less excited about the screens.

And if you are a grandparent that lives far away from your grandkids like we do, make a recording of yourself reading the book to them and then send them a copy of that book. Think of it as a bedtime story they can listen to every night before going to sleep and during your next video chat, or call to them, plan that adventure of being together and keep that relationship alive. They are only little once and yes, we are all getting older. Who knows, maybe they will even share it with their own kids someday.

Judge the experience, not the pictures.

See ya on the road,

Theresa and Dave