Make a book with detached cover

by Paul Johnson

Make your own book from just two sheets of paper and a pair of scissors!

The two sheets must be the same size – A5, A4, A3 or any other rectangular dimension. You can use wrapping paper, thick magazine pages, or decorative paper.

Follow the instructions below!

Now follow the diagrams:
Pages – first sheet
1. Fold the paper in half the short way (right to left)
2. Fold the open edges inwards to the crease
3. You now have a zigzag
4. Open the sheet. Fold the long top edge down to the long bottom edge.
5. Open the sheet. You now have a sheet divided into eight rectangles.
6. Cut three panels on the long middle crease
7. Fold the top half down over the bottom half. Zigzag pages to look like the diagram.

Cover – second sheet
1/2. To make a spine fold the left short edge to within a short distance of the right edge. You are¬ not folding the sheet in half. The smaller the paper size the narrower the gap on the right side. Use a little finger width if you are using A4 paper.
3/4. Open the sheet and repeat stages 1 and 2 from the right edge.
5. You will now have a spine on the open cover. Open any two pages and lay in the centre of the cover.
6. Fold the top edge down over the top of the pages. Fold the botton edge up over the bottom of the pages. Remove the pages and reinforce the creases.
7. Unfold. Lay single page as shown. Fold the left edge of the cover over the left side if the page. Remove page.
8. Repeat 7 to the right side.
9. Fold the top crease of the cover down and the bottom crease up. Fold the left and right creases inwards.
10. Tuck the first page into the left ‘pocket’ of the cover and the last page into the right ‘pocket’ of the cover. This completes your book.

Things to do in your book
• Use different wrapping paper for pages and cover
• Make a different ‘cut out’ collage design and glue on each page
• Print out family photos and insert them into your book (If you have computer skills you could lay out the page as a grid and print off an edition)
• Make a water colour/ pencil crayon sketch on each page – have fun with line, texture and pattern
• Write a story for a child – one sentence for each of the six pages
• Or just leave it as it is and make several – all different sizes. (What is the smallest one you can make?)