Book creator apps inspire writing and provide opportunities to share books digitally. Both typically developing students and individuals with special needs will build skills such as reading, storytelling, creativity and technology using these apps. Authoring using a mobile device can be fun while bringing purpose to literacy and writing. Not to mention, introducing learners to digital book creation and safe online information sharing are also essential skills for 21st century students. We have put together a list of our favorite book creator apps. Click the link to explore the full list.
[table width =”100%” style =”” responsive =”true”] [table_head] [th_column][/th_column] [th_column][/th_column] [/table_head] [table_body] [table_row] [row_column]
[/row_column] [row_column]
Kid in Story Book Maker: Create Personalized Stories with LocoLensâ„¢ Photo Editing $6.99
Kid in Story Book Maker: Create Personalized Stories with LocoLensâ„¢ Photo Editing is a helpful and unique app for making personalized social stories and is designed specifically for children who benefit from visual narratives. The app comes with a variety of social story templates and you can add your own. What sets this app apart from the other social stories apps is the ability to add a photo of your child into the provided scenes.
We have used this app with children on the autism spectrum and children with speech and language delays between the ages of 3 and 9. In speech therapy sessions, the child and therapist can write and illustrate the story together. We have the child pose for the photos to match the scene and then help remove the original background from the photo.
Click on the link below for full review:
https://search.bridgingapps.org/apps/e4365324-c6d5-64de-a593-5c1e07d0650a[/row_column] [/table_row] [table_row] [row_column]
[/row_column] [row_column]
Book Creator for iPad – create ebooks and pdfs, publish to iBooks $4.99
Book Creator for iPad – create ebooks and pdfs, publish to iBooks is a well-developed app that allows the user to create their own original eBooks. The layout and design are very clean, organized and user friendly. Read them in iBooks, send them to friends, or submit them to the iBooks Store. Perfect for the classroom and home, Book Creator is ideal for creating children’s picture books, photo books, art books, cook books, manuals, textbooks, and the list goes on.
We use the app primarily for creating social stories and retelling events with our students of all ages with a variety of special needs. With some assistance, our students are able to add text and bring in pictures from the photo album or from the web.
Click on the link below for full review:
https://search.bridgingapps.org/apps/6ca1924c-15d9-956b-b5a6-7d54e541de43[/row_column] [/table_row] [table_row] [row_column]
[/row_column] [row_column]
StoryBuddy $.99
StoryBuddy is an excellent app for creating books with painting, photos, and text to share with friends and family via email, iBooks or iTunes. Users can draw on the device screen with their finger or stylus to create a picture book page by page. Then they can customize their story with text using the built-in keyboard. Importing images from the device photo album is easy and gives the book a personal touch. Student’s love being able to publish their story and flip through its pages like a real book.
We have used this to help middle school students develop narratives by providing them with picture cues to assist in writing the narrative. We have also written social stories with this app to help 4 – 6 yr old children with the diagnosis of autism to cope with various social situations.
Click on the link below for full review:
https://search.bridgingapps.org/apps/68315aa8-e2d3-9a8a-325a-558f03c226b3[/row_column] [/table_row] [table_row] [row_column]
[/row_column] [row_column]
StoryKit FREE
StoryKit is a language arts app, which allows students to create their very own electronic storybook in a simple, accessible way. This app allows students to edit and customize classic picture books and create their own books from scratch. Users can use a photo from their photo library on their phone or iPad and design the background as well as add sound to the page. When a StoryKit is complete, it may be opened on an iPhone, iPad or on any computer (Mac or PC) through an easy URL that is shared via email.
We have used this app with 3-7 year old students and were happily surprised to see how even the youngest student was able to easily pick up on how to take and add an image to the self-created book. Although text added varied from student to student depending on their writing capabilities and sight-word levels, we observed students excited and engaged as they worked on this writing project.
Click on the link below for full review:
https://search.bridgingapps.org/apps/4e7caa03-0797-ba37-00a5-723a4356bf76[/row_column] [/table_row] [table_row] [row_column]
[/row_column] [row_column]
Storybook Maker $2.99
Storybook Maker is an app that allows users to write, illustrate and publish their own story. Using text, photos, graphics and audio recordings, the app allows an adult or child to design their own book. There are many uses for this app, but one we have found especially useful for children is a method for discussing upcoming changes in a schedule due to vacations or some other event that is out of the ordinary routine.
We have used this app with children between the ages of 2 and 10 with diagnoses of Down syndrome, speech delay, autism spectrum disorders and anxiety.
Click on the link below for full review:
https://search.bridgingapps.org/apps/0318ff2f-4ec0-382a-b163-59a62d034b39[/row_column] [/table_row] [/table_body] [/table]
See our full list of Book Creator Apps.