Picture book page planner
Map your picture book page by page before anyone paints a picture. Label every page and spread, then print your map to keep beside you.
Odd pages are always on the right. Plan your page turns so a surprise lands when a reader turns to a new spread.
Why 32 pages?
Most picture books are 32 pages. That's enough for a title page, a copyright page, a dedication and about 14 two-page spreads of story. Bound books are printed on large sheets that are folded, so page counts land on set multiples, and every page counts, blank ones too.
Spreads and page turns
Page 1 sits alone on the right. After that, pages face each other in spreads: 2 and 3, 4 and 5, and so on, with the last page alone on the left. A page turn is a little moment of suspense, so plan where each one falls. Keep faces and words away from the center of a spread, where the pages meet the binding.
From map to book
Once your map is set, illustrate at print size with bleed. Our image print size checker tells you if your art is big enough, and the free templates have every edge marked.