Creative studio / Storytelling

Nico and the Missing Spark

A picture book for kids about creativity and AI, from the first idea to the printed book.

Independent creative work · Published book

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The idea

How can a story invite children to think about creativity and AI in an approachable, imaginative way?

How it works

Storytelling, art direction and editorial production come together in a carefully reviewed picture book.

What’s in the project

Nico and the Missing Spark, a published children’s book, with the creative process presented in the case study.

Scope & limitations

This is an independent creative project. Its process and final book are presented separately from the operations prototypes.

What makes an idea feel like yours?

I began this book by thinking about the future my two-and-a-half-year-old son will enter. I want him to use new tools with care, keep thinking for himself, and protect the social skills that turn ideas into conversations.

That personal connection shaped the cast. Nico’s physical features were inspired by my son, and Ms. Rivera’s appearance was inspired by my own. The story remains universal. Nico uses AI to create a perfect moon project, then learns to add back the memories, questions, jokes, and wonderfully messy details that make the work his own.

Published and available on Amazon

View the book on Amazon ↗First edition · independently published · 2026

The story in three moments

The tool can help. The spark is still yours.

Nico sitting at his desk, beginning his project with a question

Ask Better Questions

Nico discovers that AI can only work with the words and ideas he gives it.

Nico and classmates comparing nearly identical moon projects

Notice What Feels Generic

Seven nearly identical moon projects show that correct is not always original.

Nico and a friend bringing personal ideas back to a project

Bring Back Your Voice

Memories, jokes, questions, and personal details turn the project into Nico’s own.

01 / DIRECTION

Creative direction became a repeatable system.

Generative AI can produce images quickly, but it does not keep details consistent on its own. I turned the story’s intent into visual references, clear limits, review criteria, and specific decisions about what to accept.

Define what cannot change

I fixed the learning objective, emotional beats, character identities, wardrobe, environments, palette, recurring props, and the visual behavior of the spark.

Build and lock the references

Character boards and approved scenes became the source of truth for proportions, hair, skin tones, clothing, footwear, and classroom details.

Review every version against evidence

I checked each version for anatomy, changes in character identity, object direction, texture errors, story alignment, composition, and print safety.

Know when to start again

When several edits left visible residue, I rebuilt the page from the beginning instead of letting small errors build up.

Locked turnaround board for Nico and Ava

Locked turnaround board for Ms. Rivera and Grandpa

Locked turnaround board for two supporting students

Locked turnaround board for three supporting students

Consistency requires both design decisions and quality review.

Eight locked references created one source of truth for character views, classroom layout, recurring objects, the AI orb, palette, and final rendering style.

02 / QUALITY CONTROL

Human review was not only the final step.
It guided the whole workflow.

The project required hundreds of small decisions. I checked whether a hand looked anatomically possible, a notebook faced the child instead of the reader, a recurring student still looked like the same person, and every text block stayed within the safe print area.

Character continuity

Faces, hair, proportions, skin tones, wardrobe, shoes, and recurring accessories.

Scene continuity

Furniture, seating, classroom architecture, lighting, props, and the location of objects from page to page.

Anatomy & interaction

Hands, limbs, scale, posture, gaze, objects that cover part of the body, and natural contact with objects.

Rendering quality

No repeated tile textures, accidental grain, leftover paint marks, blur, or inconsistent finish.

Story alignment

Expressions, project content, visual direction, pacing, and emotional progression.

Print readiness

Typography, visual hierarchy, margins, bleed, gutter safety, pagination, cover wrap, and Amazon KDP preview checks.

Final Build a Prompt activity page from Nico and the Missing Spark

03 / EXTENSION

The story ends.
The conversation begins.

The final pages help young readers practice the lesson. They collect their own “spark,” compare generic ideas with personal ones, write a thoughtful prompt, question answers created by AI, and keep their own voice at the center of the process. A grown-up stays involved.

Collect your sparkBuild a promptSpot the differenceKeep your voiceUse AI with a grown-up

The finished book

One story.
A complete editorial system.

Nico and the Missing Spark brings the concept, writing, visual development, design, repeated quality review, production limits, and responsible AI disclosure into one published book.

Written byMônica Seiva

Creative ownershipConcept, art direction & book design

PublicationFirst edition · 2026

ISBN9798170500222

I developed the text and illustrations with generative AI tools under my direction and with extensive editing. I created the concept and learning objective, directed the story and visual system, made the creative decisions, and led the editorial review, quality control, and print preparation.

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