Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of reading a preoperative preparation‐themed storybook on children's preoperative fear and anxiety levels. Methods The research design was a randomized controlled experiment. The research sample included 80 children (40 in the story group and 40 in the control group) who met the inclusion criteria. Data collection tools were collected through face‐to‐face interviews with the ‘Survey Form’, ‘Child Fear Scale (CFS)’ and ‘Modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (mYPAS)’. In the research, the book named Elif Has Surgery was used as an intervention tool. In the story group, the preoperative preparation‐themed storybook was read to the child in their room at the clinic by their mother within 10 min. The control group received only clinical routine. The study was approved by the ethics committee. Results There was a statistically significant difference between the groups in the mean scores of the CFS and mYPAS scales in the control and story groups (p < 0.05). Conclusions This study found that reading a preoperative preparation‐themed storybook reduced children's fear and anxiety before surgery. It may be recommended to expand the use of preoperative preparation‐themed storybooks in order to prevent fear and anxiety experienced before surgery in paediatric surgery clinics. Story reading is an effective, cheap, non‐pharmacological intervention. The clinical trial registration number is NCT05478369.

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