Multicultural Books To Make And Share

Take a cultural journey around the world with sixteen bookmaking projects that work across the curriculum. This book makes it easy with accessible materials, hints for preparation, clear directions, and historical information.

AFRICA
Name Scroll
Learn about the development of the alphabet from Egyptian hieroglyphics with this simple scroll that uses pictures to write out a name.
Zulu Beadwork
Make a necklace or pendant with graph paper and learn about the symbolic language of beads in South Africa.

Wish Scroll from Ethiopia
Recycle a film container to make a wish scroll based on talismans made in Ethiopia for personal protection and cures.

Adinkra Cloth
Create a construction paper cloth for a historical person or book character based on adinkra cloths from Ghana.

THE AMERICAS
Winter Count
Dakota Indians counted the years by winters and marked each winter with an image drawn on a buffalo skin. Use a brown grocery bag to make your own.

Time Line Accordion
Make an accordion book with a ribbon threaded through to act as a time line and learn about the books made by the Aztecs and Mayans.

Comic Book
Write and illustrate a comic book in this simple eight page book made from one piece of paper.

Curandero Book
This project is inspired by accordion books made by Otomi Indian healers in Mexico. Illustrate your book with cut-outs made from pieces of brown bags.

ASIA
Palm Leaf Sequence Book
In India, Indonesia, and Southeast Asia, traditional books are made from palm leaves. Make your own palm leaf book from stiff paper.

Math Slat Book
Learn multiplication facts by making a slat book which was the first book form made in ancient China.

Seasons Accordion Book
Celebrate the seasons with this four page accordion book with a ribbon tie.

Book of Haiku
Sew a book with a side-stitched Asian binding and fill it with haiku and simple cut paper illustrations.

EUROPE
Rune Stone
The Vikings erected rune stones as memorials to the dead or announcements of the accomplishments of the living. Use the rune alphabet provided to make a stone for a family member, friend, historical figure, or fictional character.

Pugillares
Romans wrote notes in wooden books with wax covered pages. Make your own version with card stock and wax paper.

Newsbook
Write about a specific event in history or current events in a book modeled after the Newsbooks of Europe which were the forerunners of newspapers.

Medieval Book
Make a Medieval Book of Hours or Word Book with decorated foil covers and illuminated initials.

Click on the image for more information

Gung Hay Fat Choy: Making Books for Chinese New Year

Celebrate Chinese New Year with five creative bookmaking projects. Reproducible patterns and clear directions make these books quick and easy.

Zodiac Slat Book
Based on the earliest book form in China, the Zodiac Slat Book has reproducible patterns with pictures of the animals, characteristics, and dates.

New Year Journal
A quick and easy journal bound with a chopstick and an elastic. The front cover has the Chinese word for luck.

Dragon Counting Book
Count from one to twelve with Chinese numbers. Includes dragon head and tail patterns for the front and back covers and Chinese numbers for the pages.

Book of Good Luck Symbols
Bring luck for the coming year with this book of symbols. Ribbon and beads make this accordion book special.

Lucky Red Envelope Book
Make an accordion pocket book to hold four red envelopes. Includes characters to spell out Gung Hay Fat Choy and patterns of old Chinese coins to decorate.

Click on the image for more information

Snowflake Book

http://www.makingbooks.com/accordion.shtml

We are experiencing a thaw at the moment but so far this has been a winter of snow. This month's project is an accordion book with snowflakes. I first made a book with snowflakes made from the metal bases of tea light candles (this recycle, reuse, repurpose thing has really got me thinking). I made a second one with paper snowflakes which is more appropriate for children. The links lead you to information about how snowflakes are formed as well as some fun online and by hand activities.

For the top book, I used the side panel of a large cereal box for the accordion. Because it was sturdy, I didn't make covers. I made a snowflake from a tea light base for each page. I attached the snowflakes to squares cut from a leftover gift box by poking holes in the squares with a push pin and using thin wire to hold the snowflakes in place. I used tape that held various parts of a new printer in place to attach the mounted snowflakes to the accordion.

For the second book, I used the front panel of a cereal box and made the snowflakes out of paper. For a longer book, you can follow the directions for attaching sections in the directions for the Index Card Accordion.

Links
Make a paper snowflake
http://www.highhopes.com/snowflakes.html

Directions for making a paper snowflake

A Pop-up Snowflake from Robert Sabuda
http://robertsabuda.com/popmake/popmake_snowflake-step1.asp

You can make two snowflakes for a four page accordion book.

Online guide to snowflakes, snow crystals, and other ice phenomena
http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/
A comprehensive site from Kenneth G. Libbrecht who has created several books of photographs of snow crystals. Lots of beautiful images to view as well as clear scientific information.

Make a virtual snowflake
http://snowflakes.lookandfeel.com/
Make your own snowflake online. It took me a minute to understand how the scissors worked but once I did, it was fun.

Snowflake Bentley
http://snowflakebentley.com/index.htm
Vermont farmer Wilson Bentley made the first photographs of snowflakes in 1885. This website is maintained by the Jericho Historical Society which has an exhibit of his photographs.
He is the subject of a wonderful book by Jacqueline Briggs Martin and Mary Azarian.


Robert's Snow: For Cancer's Cure
http://www.gracelin.com/content.php?page=book_snowflake&display=behind_the_story

Grace Lin wrote Robert's Snow to cheer up husband Robert after he was diagnosed with cancer and could not enjoy the winter weather. After Robert's subsequent relapse, Grace turned to her illustrator friends and asked them to contribute their collective talents to the fight. The response was tremendous--the artwork created was so amazing that the 2004 snowflakes were immortalized in the book, Robert's Snowflakes. There is an annual fundraiser for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute every year in December.

Adapted from the January 2008 issue of Making Books Monthly
Free subscriptions available at makingbooks.com.

Festivals of Light

Festivals of Light: Making Books for the Holiday Season
Celebrate the season with six exciting bookmaking projects for Christmas, Diwali, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. It's easy and fun to do with clear directions, accessible materials, and reproducible images for all.

Contents:

Festivals of Light Accordion Book
Make a four page accordion book with a ribbon tie. There are images provided for a Hanukkah menorah, a Kwanzaa kinara, a Christmas tree, and dipa, the clay lamps that are lit for Diwali.

Festivals of Light Triangle Book
Here is another book about Festivals of Light celebrations and customs. The fun part is that the pages are shaped like triangles.

Dreidel Book
Create an accordion book about the dreidel game. The four front pages of the book are for the dreidel letters and their meaning; the back two give directions for the game.

Seven Symbols of Kwanzaa Book
Six symbols of Kwanzaa are placed on the seventh, the mkeka or mat, throughout the holiday. This book about the seven symbols can be spread out on a table or hung on the wall for display.

Twelve Days of Christmas Book
Make a small Twelve Days of Christmas Book that can be used as an ornament with a ribbon loop.

Diwali Rangoli Book
Colorful designs called rangoli decorate the doorways and floors of homes, shops, temples, and restaurants during Diwali. Make a simple four page accordion with an envelope to hold your designs.

Peace Star Book

http://www.makingbooks.com/accordion.shtml

This past weekend I was in a shop called Ten Thousand Villages in Northampton, MA which sells fair trade handcrafts from around the world. I was charmed by a star ornament which is the inspiration for the peace stars in this month's project. The links lead to a sampling of stars in art and craft.

I used half of a back panel of a brown grocery bag for my accordion pages, a cereal box for the cover, and yarn for a tie. Each page has a peace star on it. You can print the peace stars in this pdf or make your own. Another idea is to put a peace star on the cover and inside write 4 things you can do to make a more peaceful world, one per page. For a longer book, you can follow the directions for attaching sections in the directions for the Index Card Accordion.

Links

Norwegian Peace Star
A sculpture in Oslo, Norway by Vebjorn Sand has been given the name the Peace Star. The structure draws its inspiration from a star-form first conceived by German astronomer, Johannes Kepler (1571-1630.) It consists of twenty three-sided pyramids radiating from the core. The Star itself is 14-meters high and 14-meters wide. The giant structure was covered in specially fractured glass to create a dazzling illuminated sculpture visible from the air and floating above the fir trees of the countryside.

Star Corona
acrylic sculpture by George W. Hart

The Star Chamber
Sculptor Chris Drury created this domed stone chamber at Vanderbilt University. An aperture on the top functions as a camera obscura so that the sky and horizons are reflected on the walls of the chamber.

Star Book Directions
These directions are by Diane Weintraub and are one of a series from the San Diego Museum of Art.

Moravian Stars
are illuminated Advent or Christmas decorations popular in Germany and in places in America and Europe where there are Moravian congregations. The first ones were made in the 1830's at the Moravian School in Niesky, Germany as a geometry lesson or project. The geometry is beyond me as were the directions for these supposedly simpler paper stars. My mother was taught how to make them by a German neighbor when I was young but I never learned. I am not defeated but have not had the time to complete the directions on this website. You may want to try. They are lovely.

How to draw an Eight-point Star
There are directions for using the computer and for drawing with a ruler and freehand. The freehand version is the same as the star that Eric Carle says his grandmother drew for him in Draw Me A Star.


Adapted from the December 2007 issue of Making Books Monthly
Free subscriptions available at makingbooks.com.

Family Workshop at Concord Museum

I will be doing a drop-in workshop for families on the day after Thanksgiving at the Concord Museum in Concord, MA from 11-2:30. It is free with museum admission. There will be four stations in the large room: one to make an accordion book, one to make a stick and elastic book, one to make a hot dog booklet, and one for decorating and adding content. We'll be using recycled materials (provided) and there will be lots of examples and inspiration for you to continue bookmaking at home.

Concord Museum
200 Lexington Road
Concord, MA
978.369.9763
Friday, November 23 (the day after Thanksgiving)
11:00-2:30
Free with museum admission

Word Books

http://www.makingbooks.com/hotdog.shtml

We recently had a delightful German exchange student named Jacky with us for two and a half weeks. One of her assignments on the trip (learning and writing down five new English words each day) inspired this month's project, a Word Book. These are great for all ages: young children learning new words, high school students preparing for the SATs, students of another language, and anyone who enjoys the wonder of words. The links provide a selection of Word of the Day sites for all levels.

You will need one piece of paper and two pieces of yarn. I used one half of a newspaper page for the book and wrote the words and definitions on separate pieces of paper which I then glued to the book. If you get a newspaper regularly, you could make a book for each week starting on Sunday or Monday, do a word each day, and at the of the year have a box with 365 words.

One thing about using newspaper is that it has a very pronounced grain. You will find that it is easy to tear neatly from top to bottom, but difficult from side to side. I tore the double page in half to get one page and then cut it in half to get the size I used. To keep with using recycled materials, you can also use a piece of paper with writing on one side only. When you make the first fold (long and skinny like a hot dog) in the directions, the writing should be on the inside. To make a longer book, make several of the hot dog booklets and glue them on top of each other.

1. Follow the directions for making the hot dog booklet.

2. Open the book to the middle and lay a piece of yarn across with an even amount sticking out on either side.

3. Close the book and lay the other piece of yarn across the top of the spine with an even amount sticking out on either side.

4. Tie the yarn together at each side with a double knot.

Links

Word of the Day Sites
http://blackdog4kids.com/games/word/daily-word.html
has a range of words from easy top hard and a bunch of word games as well

http://wordcentral.com/buzzword/buzzword.php
At Merriam Webster's Word Central you can hear the word pronounced. Learn what it means and how to use it, and answer a word wiz question.

http://www.oed.com/cgi/display/wotd
The Oxford English Dictionary offers a word of the day with pronunciations, spelling, etymology, quotations, and dates

http://www.princetonreview.com/college/research/wdj.asp?wordType=2
The Princeton Review offers words for the SAT. You can also look up words for Business, Medical, and Law if you are so inclined.

http://www.transparent.com/wotd/index.htm
A word of the day in Spanish, French, German, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, and English for Spanish speakers


Adapted from the November 2007 issue of Making Books Monthly
Free subscriptions available at makingbooks.com.