These books (along with the crocodile and giraffe from the Very Hungry Librarian rhyme) were the first real flannel board shapes I created. I might have gone a bit overboard but they weren't so bad to make with an assistant's help. They can also be reused for various rhymes and flipping through them makes me smile, so it's worth it!
Features:
1. Flippable covers and pages
2. 3-D cover art (based on covers of classic children's books)
3. Thick spines with book titles
4. Book quotes and illustrations on inner pages
Materials:
1. Felt sheets of various colors
2. Sharp (preferably small) scissors
3. Hot glue
4. Pipe cleaners
5. Permanent markers (pref. fine tipped)
6. Optional: Copy of books being modeled after (for quotes and illustration reference)
7. Optional: Safety or sewing pins
8. Optional: Googly eyes, tiny pom-poms, & aluminum foil
Pieces to Cut:
1. Cover: Rectangle with rounded edges
2. Back Cover: Same as cover but with about an inch of extra length to fold over and create the spine.
3. Page: White felt, same as cover but with about 1/2 inch of extra length to wrap around pipe cleaner (this helps the page turn and makes the spine thick).
4. Spine: Cut pipe cleaner the same size as the width of your rectangles or slightly smaller.
5. Any small shapes needed for the cover art
Gluing Order:
1. Glue cover art to cover (smallest rectangle). This can be done first or last.
2.. Layout book as desired (I like having the page and back cover poke out so that they look a bit more 3-D). Trim any parts that appear too long.
3. Glue pipe cleaner to page, about 1/2 inch in.
4. Roll extra length of page around the pipe cleaner and glue.
5. Glue pipe cleaner to front of back cover, about an inch in.
6. Lay front cover over your page and back cover and situate as desired, then fold the extra length of the back cover over the front cover to create a spine. Glue spine to cover.