StoryFaces

Abstract

We introduce StoryFaces, a new composition and storytelling tool for children to explore the role of emotional expressions in children's narrative. StoryFaces invites children to record emotional expressions that become part of storybook illustrations. As children watch the story being told, they see their faces bring the story to life; then they can "go backstage" to play with the story by rearranging the videos and altering the story text. More experienced children can build an interactive ebook from the ground up, creating scenes, characters and expressive faces to craft personalized narratives. Our design rationale focuses on supporting children's exploration of emotional expression through their narrative play. Results with eighteen children ages 4-10 indicate that emotional expressions are inviting and motivating for children across this broad age range to engage in both reading and creating narrative. StoryFaces gave children's ephemeral facial expressions concrete forms with which they could manipulate, discuss, and think about the role of emotion in narratives. Our goal is to provoke new ideas about how pretend play with digital tools can empower young children in social-emotional narrative activities.