Lafayette Mother Creates Interactive Storybook For Children

Susan Oppelt's interactive storybook has its roots in a back yard in New Jersey.

That's where the Lafayette woman and her sisters first "saw" an elf race through their family's back yard.

For years afterward, even as young adults, Oppelt and her sisters made up stories about the enchanting creature.

Now, those memories have led the Lafayette wife and mother to put together her first book, "Trap The Elf."

The storybook, ironically, was created in Oppelt's current back yard, where she operates her business, LUMIN Studio, from a converted shed.

"It's magical. I'm super excited," said Oppelt.

The book is intended for children 5 to 9 years old. Oppelt used her 5-year-old son and her 9-year-old niece as the test subjects.

"Trap the Elf" is a digital book found on iTunes and other online locations. Oppelt created it from scratch herself and then self-published it.

The book tells children the basic story of elves and details their life and powers. It also instructs them on how to build a simple box to trap the elusive creatures.

The book tells children if they catch an elf, they'll be granted three wishes. As a back-up plan, the book also tells children that if their wishes don't come true, the elf will still be with the youngsters in spirit and bring them good fortune.

Oppelt said she wanted to give parents some flexibility on how to tell children the story and how they wanted to handle the "wish" angle.

She also wanted children to do some hands-on activity while going through the book.

"It's a good way for them to use their imagination," she said. "A lot of times we just hand them the digital device."

Oppelt used stop-action animation to give the book a little more old-fashioned feel.

Oppelt has a degree from Moore College of Art & Design. She worked for 20 years for advertising agencies and interactive media companies.

Oppelt, her husband and son moved to Lafayette about four years ago.