10 animals come aliveDinosaurs Are Back
Spike's egg brother is stolen, and a small Triceratops sets out to bring him home.
Ages 6 to 10 · 54 pages$14.99
A parent's guide · checked and updated September 2026
Augmented reality books for kids: a parent's guide
By Katia and Van, who have made augmented reality books since 2014 · Updated
A dinosaur on your kitchen floor. A cow in the living room, chewing, looking at you. That's what an augmented reality book does: you point a phone or tablet at the page, and the animal steps out of the paper and into your room.
We've watched children's faces the first time a T. rex turns around to look at them, and we've watched the apps behind books like ours disappear. So this is the guide we wish every parent had: what these books are, how they work, what to check before you buy, and how to read them so the story stays the hero.
Try it now
This is what it looks like
Here's the T. rex from our book Dinosaurs Are Back. On a phone or tablet, tap “See it in your room” and point the camera at the floor. On a computer you can spin it, and you'll get a code to open this page on your phone or tablet.
Drag to spin. On a phone or tablet this opens AR.
Will it work on this phone or tablet?
Checking this device...
The check runs in your browser. We only count the result, anonymously, so we know which devices families use.
What is an augmented reality book?
An augmented reality book is a printed book with a secret. On paper it's a normal picture book: you turn the pages, read aloud, point at the pictures. But when you point a phone or tablet at the page, a 3D character appears on the screen, standing in your real room. You can walk around it, make it bigger or smaller, and take a photo with it.
Three things it isn't
Not virtual reality. No headset, and nobody leaves the room. The room stays where it is, and the animal joins it.
Not an e-book or a story app. Apps like Vooks or Epic put the whole story on a screen. Here the story is on paper, and the screen is only for the moment the character comes out.
Not the “AR books” from school. In many schools, AR means Accelerated Reader, a reading quiz program. If your child's teacher talks about AR books, that's what they mean.
The part nobody explains
The three kinds of augmented reality books
This difference matters more than anything else in this guide. It decides whether the book still works in a few years.
1
One app for each book
- How it starts
- Download the book's own app, then point it at the page.
- What you install
- One app for every book you own.
- If the company stops
- The app disappears from the store, and the magic goes with it. The book stays on the shelf.
2
One app for many books
- How it starts
- One app from the publisher or a platform, like Quiver for coloring pages or AR Books LibrARy.
- What you install
- One app, sometimes with a subscription.
- If the company stops
- Better, as long as the platform lives. Platforms vanish too: Bookful went, lifetime subscriptions and all. (Product Hunt review)
3
No app at all
- How it starts
- Scan the QR code with the normal camera, tap the link, and the phone or tablet's own 3D viewer opens.
- What you install
- Nothing.
- If the company stops
- The book keeps working as long as its web page is online.
This is how our books work.
How the no-app kind works, in plain words
The QR code opens a web page. The page hands the 3D animal to a viewer that's already built into your phone or tablet. On iPhone and iPad that's Apple's AR Quick Look; on Android it's Google's Scene Viewer. That's why there's nothing to install. (Apple, AR Quick Look; Google, Scene Viewer)
Publishers already do the same thing with sound. Nosy Crow prints a QR code inside its Stories Aloud books, and it plays the story read aloud, with no app. (Nosy Crow, Stories Aloud)
Our books are the third kind. Every animal has a QR code beside it. Scan it, tap “See it in your room”, and the animal stands on your floor.
- 1The QR code on the pageScanned with the camera you already have
- 2A web page opensNo store, no download, no account
- 3Your phone or tablet's own 3D viewerAR Quick Look on iPhone and iPad, Scene Viewer on Android
- 4The animal, on your floorWalk around it, take a photo, then back to the book
Before you scan
What you need
A phone or tablet. Here's what to expect, checked September 27, 2026. (Apple, ARKit device support; Google, ARCore supported devices; Amazon, Fire OS)
| Device | See it in your room? |
|---|---|
| iPhone 6s or newer, in Safari or Chrome | Yes |
| iPad from 2017 or newer, and every iPad Pro | Yes |
| Android phone or tablet on Google's ARCore listFor example Samsung Galaxy Tab A7, A8, A9+ and S6 Lite; Lenovo Tab M10 5G, M10 Plus 3rd Gen, M11 and P11 2nd Gen; Pixel Tablet | Yes |
| Android devices that aren't on the listFor example Galaxy Tab A7 Lite, Lenovo Tab M8, M9 and M10 HD | 3D only |
| Amazon Fire tablets | 3D only: spin and zoom, but it can't stand in the room |
| Chromebooks | 3D only |
| Laptops and desktop computers | 3D only |
| Any phone or tablet, inside Instagram, Facebook or Messenger | Open the link in Safari or Chrome first |
Is my Android on the list? Look for your model on Google's ARCore devices page, or use the checker at the top of this page on that phone or tablet.
An internet connection when you scan.
The animal downloads the first time you open it, usually a few megabytes. (Google, Scene Viewer)
A bit of floor.
A clear patch about the size of a bath mat, with good light. Plain, shiny floors are the hardest for the camera; a rug or a wooden floor works best.
If the “See it in your room” button doesn't work
- Opened the link from Instagram, Facebook or Messenger? Their built-in browsers can't open the 3D viewer on iPhone. Open the link in Safari or Chrome. (model-viewer, in-app browsers)
- Allow the camera when it asks.
- On a child's profile (Amazon Kids, Google Kids Space), a parent may need to approve the website first. (Amazon, Fire Kids web browsing; Google Kids Space help)
- On Android, update Google Play Services for AR from the Play Store. (Google, Scene Viewer)
- Firefox on Android shows 3D only. Use Chrome.
Already have one of our books? Step by step, and more quick fixes.
This part is personal
Will it still work in five years?
From 2014 to 2020 we ran a small studio in Greece called bitar. We made eleven augmented reality books, each with its own app, and over those years nine people worked with us. Families loved them.
Then the rules kept changing under our feet. Every year Apple and Google raised the bar for every app, with new versions, new security rules and new forms for children's apps. None of these changes was hard on its own. But eleven books meant twenty-two apps, and every change had to be made twenty-two times, for books that had been paid for once.
When the COVID economic squeeze hit small businesses in 2020, we closed. Today our old apps are gone from both stores. The books still sit on shelves in Greek homes, but the animals can't come out anymore.
We're not the only ones. We checked 25 augmented reality books and products in September 2026, and about half of the ones tied to a book were gone or frozen:
- The famous iDinosaur book from 2013 is still sold, but its app is gone from Google Play. (Google Play)
- Crayola Color Alive is gone from both app stores. (Zift)
- Bookful, an app full of augmented reality picture books, disappeared. One reviewer who'd paid for a lifetime subscription wrote that it simply vanished. (Product Hunt review)
- Adobe shut down its Aero app in November 2025, and some small authors had built their augmented reality books on it. (Adobe; an author's Aero book)
- On Apple's own help forum, the answer to “can I restore an app that's no longer on the App Store?” is usually no. (Apple Community)
That's why our new books have no app. The animals live on a web page, and your phone or tablet already knows how to open it. No store can remove it. We won't pretend nothing will ever change, because browsers change too. But one web page is something two people can keep alive for years; twenty-two apps wasn't.
Keep this one
Before you buy any augmented reality book, check:
- 1
Does it need an app? If yes, find it in the App Store and on Google Play first. Is it on both? When was it last updated? A year or more without an update is a warning sign.
- 2
Read the app's reviews, not only the book's.
- 3
Does it need an account or a subscription? What happens to the book if you stop paying?
- 4
Is there a way in without an app, like a QR code that opens a web page?
- 5
Is the story good with the screen switched off? If the book only makes sense with the app, it becomes an empty book the day the app goes away.
What the research says
Is it screen time?
This is the question we hear most, and we ask it ourselves. Here's what doctors recommend, and what the reading studies actually found.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, February 2026
The new advice looks less at the stopwatch and more at what children watch and play, and whether families do it together. It still suggests that limits for toddlers and preschoolers might be under an hour a day, and it says children learn more when they use media with a grown-up. (AAP, 2026)
The World Health Organization
No screen time for babies under 2. For ages 2 to 4, no more than an hour a day, and less is better. It also encourages reading and storytelling with a grown-up. (WHO, 2019)
What the reading studies found
Extras that match the story help a little. Games and “tap here” buttons distract. A review of 43 studies found that animation and sound that follow the story gave small gains in understanding and vocabulary. Games and hotspots pulled children away from the story. (Takacs, Swart and Bus, 2015; Furenes, Kucirkova and Bus, 2021)
Tablets can make parents and toddlers talk less, especially with e-books full of effects. (Munzer and colleagues, 2019) But a book designed to start conversations made families talk more. (Troseth and colleagues, 2020) The grown-up matters more than the format.
Augmented reality picture books: early, small, mostly positive studies. Several found children retold the story better and understood more of what was left unsaid. (Danaei and colleagues, 2020; Şimşek, 2024; Wu and Ma, 2025) Some found no difference. (Tobar-Muñoz and colleagues, 2017) And one 2026 study found a plain e-book taught science words better, while augmented reality won on engagement and on working things out. (Zhang and colleagues, 2026) So no, nobody has proven that augmented reality makes children better readers.
Children love it, and some rush. In one study, 37 of 38 children aged 8 to 10 found an augmented reality book easy and enjoyable. Four raced through the words to get to the moving pictures. (Alhamad, Manches and McGeown, 2024)
How you read together matters most. When parent and child talked and the child explored, understanding was higher. When the grown-up took over, it was lower. (Cheng and Tsai, 2014)
What we take from it
How we made our own books
Read the page first. Scan second.
The words and the pictures come first, every time. The 3D animal is the reward at the end of the page, not the reason for it.
Hold the phone or tablet together.
A 3D animal is a wonderful excuse to talk. How big is it? Where should we put it? What would it say?
Keep the magic short.
A minute with the animal, then back to the book. Our animals move in slow, calm loops, so the moment stays gentle and never turns into a game.
No games, no points, no ads, no hotspots.
Nothing in our books pulls a child away from the story.
What age are augmented reality books for?
Ages 3 to 5
The grown-up holds the phone or tablet, and the child is the director: “Put it on the sofa!” Keep it short and keep talking. Rhyming books work best.
Ours: Farm Animals, a rhyming riddle book, ages 3 to 6Ages 5 to 7
Children start scanning pages themselves, with a grown-up nearby. Stories with a little suspense and something to think about.
Ours: Forest Animals, a kindness picture book in rhyme, ages 5 to 9Ages 6 to 10
Longer adventures and real facts. They'll read the text before they scan.
Ours: Dinosaurs Are Back, a dinosaur adventure that ends with real dinosaur facts, ages 6 to 10The research doesn't give exact ages. This split follows the pediatricians' age bands and the finding that child-led, talkative reading works best. (AAP, 2016; Cheng and Tsai, 2014)
Checked on September 27, 2026
Augmented reality books for kids in 2026: an honest list
We checked each one in the US App Store and on Google Play on , and we'll check again every six months. If something here is out of date, tell us at info@madeofyou.com.
Still working
Updated in the last twelve months, on at least one store.
| Book or product | Ages | How it works | What we found |
|---|---|---|---|
| QuiverColoring pages that come alive; also used by the picture books Monsters Have Manners and Peter O'MeterBy QuiverVision | Ages4 and up | How it worksFree app: print a page, color it, scan it | What we foundUpdated August 2026 (App Store) and September 2026 (Google Play). Some packs are paid.App Store · Google Play |
| AR Books LibrARyEight science and nature booksBy Multilearn | Ages4 to 10 | How it worksOne app for all the books | What we foundUpdated September 2026 on both stores.App Store · Google Play · Shop |
| Octagon 4D+ flashcardsAnimal, Dinosaur, Space, Ocean and moreBy Octagon Studio | Ages4 and up | How it worksA deck of cards, and one app for each deck | What we foundAndroid apps updated late 2025. The iPhone and iPad apps haven't been updated since 2023.Animal 4D+ on Google Play · Dinosaur 4D+ on Google Play |
| DEVARAugmented reality books and coloring booksBy DEVAR (now MyWebAR) | AgesNot stated | How it worksOne app for all its books | What we foundThe app was updated in August and September 2026. Which English books are still sold is unclear.App Store · Google Play |
| Ultimate Dinosaur EncyclopediaBy Welbeck | AgesOlder children | How it worksOne app for this book | What we foundAndroid app updated December 2025. The iPhone and iPad app is from 2021.Google Play · App Store |
| RainbowMe KidsStorybooks with augmented realityBy RainbowMe | Ages4 to 9 | How it worksFree app | What we foundSmall. Android app updated December 2025.Google Play · Shop |
| Made Of YouOursDinosaurs Are Back, Farm Animals, Forest AnimalsBy us | Ages3 to 10 | How it worksNo app: scan the QR code with the camera, and the phone or tablet's own 3D viewer opens | What we foundOurs, so judge us by the rest of this page. There's nothing to install or update.Our books |
Gone or frozen
Removed from the stores, or not updated for years.
| Book or product | How it works | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| iDinosaur and iSolar System2013By Carlton Books | How it worksOne app for each book | What happenedThe book is still sold. Its app is gone from Google Play.The book on Amazon · Google Play (removed) |
| Space Race, Living Planet and othersBy Carlton, now Welbeck | How it worksOne app for each book | What happenedStill on the App Store, but not updated since 2020. Gone from Google Play.Space Race on the App Store · Google Play (removed) |
| BookfulAn app full of augmented reality picture booksBy Inception XR | How it worksSubscription app | What happenedGone from the stores. One reviewer who had paid for a lifetime subscription wrote that it simply disappeared.Google Play (removed) · Review on Product Hunt |
| WonderscopeAugmented reality stories for iPhone and iPadBy Within | How it worksStory app | What happenedSold to Amira Learning in 2022. It's no longer on the App Store.The sale, 2022 |
| Crayola Color AliveBy Crayola | How it worksApp and coloring pages | What happenedGone from both app stores.Zift app review |
| Popar Smart BooksBy Popar Toys | How it worksOne app for each book | What happenedIts apps were last updated between 2016 and 2022. The company's website shows Page Not Found.App Store · Google Play |
| Books made with Adobe AeroBy Small authors and publishers | How it worksThe Adobe Aero app | What happenedAdobe shut Aero down on November 6, 2025.Adobe |
| livebooksOur old booksOur old books, Greece, 2014 to 2020By bitar, that's us | How it worksOne app for each book | What happenedAll 22 apps are gone from both stores.Our story |
Most of the ones that died were one app for one book, built once and never looked after. When Android moves on, Google Play stops offering old apps to new phones and tablets, while the iPhone and iPad versions linger unchanged.
How to get the most out of an augmented reality book
Guess before you scan.
Read the page and let your child guess what will come out. Our Farm Animals book is built on this: every animal is a rhyming riddle. We made a whole page of them: animal riddles for kids.
Put the animal somewhere silly.
A T. rex next to the fridge, a sheep on the bed. Then take the photo.
Talk about real sizes.
Our animals arrive small enough for a living room. Ask how big the real one was: a real T. rex was about 12 meters (39 feet) long. Who was bigger than T. rex?
Let them teach you.
After a few pages, children scan faster than grown-ups. Let them.
Talk about the real animal.
Where does it live? What does it eat? The 3D model is a door to real questions. For dinosaurs, start with our dinosaur facts for kids.
Close the book together.
End on the page, not the screen. Ask what they'd put in the room next time.
Questions
What parents ask us
- Where can I get augmented reality books?
- Mostly online: on Amazon, on publishers' websites and in app-based shops. Before you buy, check whether the book needs an app and whether that app is still updated. Ours are on Amazon and need no app.
- Do augmented reality books need an app?
- Some do, some don't. App books need the publisher's app. No-app books like ours only need the camera and the browser already on your phone or tablet.
- Can you use augmented reality books online, without the book?
- You need the printed page to find the codes. The 3D part runs online, in the browser, so there's nothing to download. You can try one without a book: the T. rex at the top of this page.
- Why doesn't my phone or tablet support it?
- Putting a 3D animal in your room needs a device that can map the floor: an iPhone 6s or newer, an iPad from 2017 or newer, or an Android device on Google's ARCore list. Others show the animal in 3D without placing it in the room.
- Do they work on Amazon Fire tablets?
- You'll see the 3D animal and can spin it, but Fire tablets can't place it in the room. They don't come with Google Play, which Google's augmented reality needs. (Google, ARCore supported devices; Amazon, Fire OS)
- Do they work without internet?
- Ours don't. The 3D animal downloads when you scan the code, so you need Wi-Fi or mobile data.
- Do they need an account, or collect my child's data?
- Ours need no account, no sign-up and no personal details. Your phone or tablet's own viewer uses the camera to find the floor, and the picture is never sent to us. For app books, read the app's privacy details in the store before you install.
- Is it safe to scan a QR code?
- The FBI warns that tampered QR codes can lead to bad websites, so check the address that appears before you open it. (FBI, 2022) Our codes open a page on app.madeofyou.com and never ask you to download anything.
- What happens if the company closes?
- App books usually stop working when their app is removed. No-app books keep working as long as their web page is online. Either way, a good story still works on paper, which is why we write ours to stand on their own.
- Is AR the same as Accelerated Reader?
- No. In schools, AR usually means Accelerated Reader, a reading quiz program. This guide is about augmented reality, where a 3D picture appears in your room through a phone or tablet.
- What age are augmented reality books for?
- From about 3, with a grown-up holding the phone or tablet. From about 6, most children scan the pages by themselves.
- Is it bad screen time?
- It depends on how it's used. The research favors short, shared moments that support the story, not games. Read the page first, scan second, and hold the phone or tablet together. What the research says.
“We make books first and magic second. If the animals ever stopped stepping out of the pages, we'd want the book to still be one you read at bedtime. That's the test we use for every page, and it's the one we'd suggest for any augmented reality book you buy.”
Our three books
10 animals come alive
9 animals come aliveFarm Animals
Nine animal riddles in rhyme. Read one aloud and let them guess who is talking.
Ages 3 to 6 · 46 pages$14.99
9 animals come aliveForest Animals
Everyone shushes the rabbit with the big ears. Then the rabbit hears a cry for help.
Ages 5 to 9 · 54 pages$14.99
Already have one of our books? Here's how to scan it, and what to do if something doesn't work.
Sources
Every row of the list above links its own store pages. Everything else on this page comes from here.
Official guidance
- AAP, 2026. American Academy of Pediatrics, Digital Ecosystems, Children, and Adolescents. Pediatrics 157(2), February 2026.
- AAP, 2016. American Academy of Pediatrics, Media and Young Minds. Pediatrics 138(5).
- WHO, 2019. World Health Organization guidelines on physical activity, sitting and sleep for children under 5.
Studies
- Takacs, Swart and Bus, 2015. Review of Educational Research 85(4). 43 studies, 2,147 children.
- Furenes, Kucirkova and Bus, 2021. Review of Educational Research 91(4). 39 studies, children aged 1 to 8.
- Munzer and colleagues, 2019. Pediatrics 143(4). 37 parents and toddlers, print and e-books.
- Troseth and colleagues, 2020. Early Childhood Research Quarterly 50. An e-book that prompts conversation.
- Cheng and Tsai, 2014. Computers & Education 72. 33 parents and children reading an augmented reality picture book.
- Danaei and colleagues, 2020. Computers & Education 153. Children aged 7 to 9.
- Şimşek, 2024. Frontiers in Psychology 15. 90 preschoolers.
- Wu and Ma, 2025. Early Child Development and Care 195. 90 children aged 5 to 6.
- Tobar-Muñoz and colleagues, 2017. Journal of Educational Computing Research 55(7).
- Zhang and colleagues, 2026. Educational Technology Research and Development 74. 62 children aged 5 to 6.
- Alhamad, Manches and McGeown, 2024. Frontiers in Psychology 15. 38 children aged 8 to 10.
Phones, tablets and 3D viewers
- Apple, AR Quick Look
- Apple, ARKit device support. Augmented reality needs an A9 chip or later: iPhone 6s and newer, iPad from 2017.
- Google, Scene Viewer
- Google, ARCore supported devices. Checked September 27, 2026.
- Amazon, Fire OS. Google Play services aren't supported on Fire OS.
- Amazon, Fire Kids web browsing
- Google Kids Space help
- model-viewer, in-app browsers
Apps that went away
- Google Play. The iDinosaur app page, removed.
- Product Hunt review
- Zift
- Adobe. Adobe Aero discontinued on November 6, 2025.
- an author's Aero book
- Apple Community. Can I restore an app that is no longer on the App Store?
Also
- Nosy Crow, Stories Aloud
- FBI, 2022. Cybercriminals Tampering with QR Codes to Steal Victim Funds.