This is a story about crash-landed aliens, but it’s also an interactive spaceship repair manual and a scientific imaging tool for looking inside hands.

To lead the reader on this curious 4th-wall-ignoring journey, I borrowed from the visual language of apps more than picture books. Bold funny character design; simple UX for interacting with the book itself; and clean flat illustrations to give the real-life anatomical images the greatest impact. It’s an educational book but every part, from the spot-gloss hand-print on the cover to the bright colours and subtle textures, is trying to say “pick me up and play!”