Book Mascot LinkedIn Announcement
New feature alert: Our Claude Code Skills for Intelligent Textbooks now include Book Mascots!
Research shows that adding a lifelike character to a learning environment improves student engagement (the "persona effect," first demonstrated by James Lester in 1997). Now you can add one to your intelligent textbook with a single command.
Just type:
/book-installer add mascot
The book installer skill walks you through the entire process:
- Character design: name, personality, backstory, and signature phrases
- Image generation: consistent visual identity across your textbook
- CSS integration: custom admonition styling with your mascot's icon
- JavaScript auto-detection: any admonition mentioning your mascot's name automatically displays the character
- CLAUDE.md configuration: ensures every AI-generated chapter includes your mascot's voice
- Color theme derivation: site-wide palette based on your character's appearance
Real-world example: The AP Statistics Course uses Sylvia the Squirrel, a red squirrel in a green cardigan whose colors drive the entire site theme. Content authors just write a standard admonition with "Sylvia" in the title and her icon appears automatically.
The persona effect research found that even a non-expressive character improves learner perception. With expressive behaviors like encouragement, tips, and celebrations, the effect is even stronger. Your mascot becomes the consistent voice that makes your textbook feel personal and approachable.
All of this is open source and works with any MkDocs Material intelligent textbook.
Get started: https://dmccreary.github.io/intelligent-textbooks/concepts/pedagogical-agent/