Welcome to this magical adventure that helps children and parents understand what Artificial Intelligence really is, how it works, and how to use it wisely.
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The book
The book
“Terry and the Digital Forest” is an illustrated storybook for children aged 6-10 and their families. Through the eyes of Terry, a curious child living in the creative village of Artbloom, readers embark on a journey through the mysterious Digital Forest – where machines can paint, sing, and converse, but cannot truly think and feel.
In this storybook, children begin to understand:
What Artificial Intelligence (AI) is and is not
How humans are fundamentally different than machines
How technology can help - but cannot replace - us
At the same time, parents like yourself gain a better understanding of how to have healthy, age-appropriate conversations with children about technology, ethics, and critical thinking.
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why we wrote it
why we wrote it
As Psychology students and researchers, we recognize just how scary Artificial Intelligence might seem. It’s shaping nearly every aspect of our modern lives. From classrooms to family homes, children are growing up inundated with information and AI-powdered tools without truly understanding what these tools do or how to use them effectively.
Experts like Geoffrey Hinton have called this age the “AI revolution,” and educational leaders are urging schools to teach AI literacy – the very tools and skills needed to think critically about (and act appropriately with) intelligence systems.
Our goal is to help with AI literacy by supplementing fear of AI with a true understanding. Research shows that children are really intrigued – rather than scared – by technology. Our book helps facilitate this authentic curiosity through compelling storytelling, and critical thinking about these systems can afford children the opportunity to use them ethically and meaningfully later on in their lives!
How Terry and the Digital Forest Teaches AI Literacy
Each part of Terry’s adventure introduces an idea that builds AI literacy naturally...
Discovery
Discovery
Terry learns that every bot has limitations: PictureBot can make images but not sing, MusicBot can sing but not draw–and none are truly human-like.
Learning Outcomes: Functional Literacy (“What is AI”, “What can AI do?”, “How does AI work?”)
Curiosity
Curiosity
When Terry asks the smartest machine what its experiences are like, it breaks down–revealing that humans and machines are fundamentally different.
Learning Outcomes: Functional Literacy (“What is AI”, “What can AI do?”)
Wisdom
Wisdom
By the end, Terry helps the townspeople realize that AI should help assist, not replace, human creativity.
Learning Outcomes: Ethical Literacy (“How should AI be used?”, “How do people perceive AI?”)
A NEW WAY FORWARD
A NEW WAY FORWARD
Terry and the Digital Forest invites families to explore the wonders of technology while celebrating human ingenuity. We can all be part of a greater purpose: to raise a generation that understands Artificial Intelligence – to use it thoughtfully and critically as a tool.
for parents | Guiding questions
for parents | Guiding questions
⛉ Understanding AI: What did Terry learn about how the robots worked?
⛉ Understanding AI: Why couldn’t the big machine answer Terry’s final question?
⚙️ Humans vs Machines: What could Terry do that PictureBot and MusicBot couldn’t?
⚙️ Humans vs Machines: The villagers were scared of machines because they thought the machines would replace them, but what makes humans irreplaceable?
🌿 Ethical Use: How did Terry use the robots in a responsible way?
🌿 Ethical Use: What might happen if people relied on AI too much?
☐ Open-Ended Reflection: What did you learn from this story?
☐ Open-Ended Reflection: How do you feel about machines and AI now? What about humans?
REFERENCES
Baumann, A.-E., Poulin-Dubois, D., & Goldman, E. J. (2023). People Do Not Always Know Best: Preschooler’s Trust in Social Robots. Journal of Cognitive Development. https://doi.org/10.1080/15248372.2023.2178435
Goldstein, E. B., & Hale, R. G. (2026). Cognitive Psychology: Connecting Mind, Research, and Everyday Experience (6th ed.). Cengage Learning US. https://reader.yuzu.com/books/9798214582382
Grose, J. (2025, May 14). Opinion | A.I. Will Destroy Critical Thinking in K-12. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/14/opinion/trump-ai-elementary.html
Kleinknecht, E., Blumberg, F. C., & Flynn, R. M. (2024). Making a Case for Artificial Intelligence Literary Skills for School-Age Children. Education, Development and Intervention, Springer.
Kleinknecht, E. (2025). Cognitive Psychology [Unpublished course lectures]. Department of Psychology, Pacific University.
Kwan, T. (2025, July 24). Why AI Literacy Instruction Needs to Start Before Kindergarten. The74million.org. https://www.the74million.org/zero2eight/why-ai-literacy-instruction-needs-to-start-before-kindergarten/
Taniguchi, K., & Okanda, M. (2024). Children’s nimistic beliefs toward a humanoid robot and other objects. Journal of Experimental Psychology. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2024.105945
Xu, Y. (2023). Talking with machines: Can conversational technologies serve as children’s social partners? Child Development Perspectives, 17, 53-58. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12475
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Jackson Cowherd
B.S. Psychology '27
Hi there, I'm Jackson, a third-year Psychology student who's also minoring in Philosophy! This project has taught me how remarkably complex and unique our brains are, especially when compared to Artificial Intelligence systems. In fact, if I had to choose the single most important takeaway from this project, it would be this: to truly understand AI, we must first understand - and appreciate - the mechanics of the human mind, which we are only now beginning to grasp.
Elena Sanchez
B.S. Psychology '27
Hello! I'm Elena, a third-year Psychology student with a minor in Psychology of Health and Well-Being. This project has helped me understand AI as an extension of our own abilities. AI may process information faster, however it cannot feel nor create meaning the same way humans do: like the creativity needed for this book. Our hope is that children reading this book can take away the same lessons we've learned to begin inspiring and educating, not only for young minds but the adults who guide them.
Jenni Martinez Chavez
B.A. Psychology '27
Hello! I'm Jenni, a third-year Psychology student. This project has taught me the importance of learning the fundamental differences between AI and human intelligence. AI is very limited in its capabilities, whereas humans are capable of growth, adaptation, and expansion of their knowledge. The most valuable thing I have learned is that AI is here to stay, and we must teach children at a young age that AI should be used as an assistive tool to support us when we are struggling.
Makenzie Flanagan
B.S. Psychology '27
Hello, I'm Makenzie, a third-year psychology student. This project has taught me about the importance of understanding the limitations of AI. By understanding that AI is not capable of the kind of growth and development that humans have, we begin to fear and rely on AI less. This is also why understanding the differences between AI and humans, as well as the ways humans process information, is crucial. As AI is a part of our lives now, we need to understand that AI is not better than us, but a tool we can use to keep progressing.
AI DECLARATION STATEMENT
We used generative AI, namely OpenAI’s ChatGPT, to review and modify information created for this website and our storybook, while also checking the Flesch-Kincaid Readability Level using Claude AI. All of the content generated in the book and on this website reflects the authors' own work and intellectual contributions.
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