Creating technological artefacts through hands-on practice has gained traction as a means to rethink educational approaches. This study reports the effectiveness of the maker pedagogy on students' interest in literacy. An evaluation study was conducted involving 112 primary school children, aged 11, in two primary schools in Malaysia with the aim of improving students' reading interest. The study involved an experimental group of participants creating augmented storybooks using paper-based circuitry and programming. Participant results reveal a significant increase in interest while learning by making augmented storybooks in comparison to just reading using augmented storybooks. The study demonstrates how learning by making can be implemented in primary school settings and highlights key challenges and opportunities for applying the approach in everyday teaching and learning contexts.