The Story Factory

3.0

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Author(s)

Jam Dong

Publisher

Candlewick

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

January 21, 2025

ISBN

1536230006

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What happens when the factory that makes books stops working? A whimsical celebration of creativity, bookmaking, and original storytelling.

Once upon a time, all the books in the world were manufactured at one place—the Story Factory!

The workers at the story factory know exactly what it takes to make a book: characters, a plot, vocabulary, and punctuation. All the same elements are used over and over again, and everything has a precise order. Nothing new or original is ever added to the stories—that is, until the day the factory suddenly stops producing books. The workers must locate and remove the clog in the machinery, and what they find may just change the way they make books forever. With fun and wonderfully intricate illustrations, Jam Dong’s charming story is a joyful ode to the imagination and to what it is that makes books so special.

Editor review

1 review

Interesting look at the creative process

March 05, 2025 (Updated: July 01, 2026)

Overall rating

3.0

Plot

3.0

Characters

3.0

Writing Style

3.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

3.0

The Story Factory has always done things the same way: take old books, break them down into their component parts, and reassemble them into new tales. New, but nothing terribly original. When the machine stops working, the factory workers try to repair it, but nothing they do seems to work. They check the sorter, the character room, the plot department, and the emotion monitor, but everything seems okay. Still, the stories aren’t being produced. When they get to the mixer, they find that the mechanism to combine all of the elements is jammed. Working things free, an eruption of notes, doodles, and bookmarks spews material all over! The workers decide to put all of these things back in the mixer, which then produces brand new stories. However, the factory explodes, sending new books all over. People love the fresh tales, and the Story Factory is rebuilt and supplies titles that people love.

Good Points

Dong’s illustrations are colorful and simple, and the workers are reminiscent of Oblio in the 1970s movie The Point, with round heads and cones for hats. There are plenty of details on the machines, with levers, buttons, and label galore. Bits of books litter the pages like confetti, giving this a fun and frenetic feel.

Young readers who like goofy tales will love the thought of the machine being improved through chaos and explosions, and will enjoy seeing the workers running around trying to make repairs.

Young readers who are also interested in creating their own stories will likely think about creating their own “story factory” after reading this book. Combine it with Barnett and Rex’s Home This Book Was Made, Dolan’s How to Make a Picture Book, and Kramer’s Tell Me a Lion Story to direct this kind of creativity. For the same kind of frenetic pacing and humor, also take a look at Jeffers and Winston’s The Dictionary Story