tapStory is an iPad app that augments picture books with creative play, creating an immersive experience for young readers. Kids animate characters and read the story out loud, and then play back their performances—each one a singular expression of their imagination. You can download it free from the App Store.

I've kept a journal of app ideas since the release of the iPhone. In one entry, I took stock of the state of children's book apps, which typically relied on repetitive canned animations and sounds to provide shallow interactivity. My vision was that kids should be able to tell the story the way *they* see and experience it, and even remix it into something of their own creation. After a successful proof-of-concept prototype, I dove into development on nights and weekends, and tapStory was born.

I was the solo developer on the project, and I wrote and illustrated the first story. I also collaborated with illustrators who created eight original stories offered as in-app purchases, acting as a designer, editor, and publisher.

I recently worked with Claude Code to port tapStory to run in a web browser. It currently supports reading, recording, and playback.

Read Pea and Carrot

in tapStory for Web (beta)

← →