There are many things I love about having my Art students create a hand-bound book. It incorporates language arts, teaches problem solving skills, creativity, and craftsmanships. It is also a perfect chance to differentiate by interest.
We made quote books, joke books, concept books about dinosaurs, architecture, and mythological creatures. There were quote books, original poems, and "a day in the life of" slice of life books. Students don't just get to choose the content of their book, they choose the form that book will take.
Accordion books, such as this one about winter can stand expand to stand up and display the pages all at once. A half an inch of each page spread is turned back before folding the center of the remaining paper. That provides a tab to glue to the back of the previous page spread.
One student decided after the fact to make their book an accordion, so they created strips of paper that they added glue on either side of the peaked fold to attach pages.
Other stitch-less books used a similar technique, but without a tab. For example, the second page spread would half the back of the left page glued to the back of the right page and the back, but just in a half an inch strip from top to bottom. With this book the back and front cover are connected with a strip of colored tape to form a spine.
Most of these books, such as this digitally illustrated story book, just needed a strip of glue along the back edges of each page spread.
But in some cases, the entire back of each page was covered with glue, using a glue stick. This pop-up picture book of types of vehicles was extra sturdy because each page was two layers of card-stock. This student had to figure out how to get water to pop in front of the jet ski and how to attach a race flag as the background of his race car.
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Pamphlet books were another option. A single signature is simply sewn together with a couple of stitches. This has the benefit of using the front and back of the paper, but the downside of having to figure out the page numbers and what will go on each page, rather than each page spread being on a single sheet of paper.
To make this, one of my students, folded four or five pieces of paper together and poked three holes in the signature fold. A piece of yarn and a large needle was used to poke the yarn up through the back of the center hole and then down through the bottom hole. Then she came back up trough the center hole and finally in the top hole from front to back.
The ends of the yarn were tied near the center hole on the back side.
For all of the hard bound books, students used a piece of book board or mat board just a hair bigger than the pages. with nice mat board it might just be fine to leave it the original color, but all of my students chose to cover theirs with paper. They used a glue stick to cover the board with glue and than rubbed the paper on until firm. The corners were cut with just enough wiggle room to cover the thickness of the board, and then side of the board had the edge glued.
The entire outside of the outer page of text is covered with glue.
And then attached to the inside of the book board. If a good glue stick is not available, liquid glue brushed smoothly with a thick brush can also provide an even layer of glue.
this student opted for the easy spine solution: just use tape.
I loved to see students share their books with their peers. They each felt a sense of accomplishment with their finished product, but just as important was the enjoyment of the process.
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To make this, one of my students, folded four or five pieces of paper together and poked three holes in the signature fold. A piece of yarn and a large needle was used to poke the yarn up through the back of the center hole and then down through the bottom hole. Then she came back up trough the center hole and finally in the top hole from front to back.
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