Previous Community Book Garden efforts used photographs as illustrations, but program administrators found that children were often less engaged by photo-based visuals. Nookly can help address this challenge by enabling librarians and other trusted adults to create personalized Social Stories with digitally generated illustrations that are more visually engaging for children.

A Social Story is a short, descriptive narrative that explains a social situation, skill, or concept using clear, literal, supportive language. Social Stories help individuals understand what to expect, why something happens, and how they can respond. With Nookly, these stories can be further personalized to reflect a child’s identity, culture, and access needs, including mobility devices, communication supports, and family structures.

This approach expands the potential impact of Community Book Gardens by making it easier to create books that are both meaningful and highly relevant to individual children and families. Rather than relying on generic materials or costly custom publishing processes, libraries can use Nookly to develop stories that respond directly to community needs, whether that means preparing a child for a new experience, supporting social-emotional learning, or representing families and children who are often left out of traditional children’s books.