These tiny books shown below measure 57mm high and 47mm wide – around the same length as a mouse’s tail! They were part of the Infant’s Library created more than 200 years ago.
These books were designed to help children learn by reading to their dolls. The series starts with the alphabet and ends with books about animals, flowers, birds, games, outdoor scenes, objects and a (very!) Short History of England.
The very first work author Charlotte Brontë created was a miniature book containing a short story written for her baby sister Anne. Written and stitched together when Charlotte was just 12 years old, it was one of many tiny handmade books made by Charlotte and her siblings. The later books were made for and about the children’s toy soldiers.
The book shown below is from the library of Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House. The little royal house has a garage with cars, baths with silver taps that really work, there’s even real wine in tiny bottles in the cellar, and a gramophone with very small records that play the National Anthem. The dolls’ house library contains nearly 600 books, handwritten by famous writers such as the author of Winnie-the-Pooh, A A Milne, and James Barrie, who wrote Peter Pan.
What would you like to read to them? A bedtime story?Would it be a pirate adventure, a fairy tale or a soothing lullaby?
Would it be a factual book about other countries and cultures, about the universe, about life at the bottom of the ocean or about a famous period of history such as Ancient Egypt or the Fire of London?
It could be a graphic novelA recipe bookA sketchbook
A schoolbook to help your toys learn about the worldA book to write music inPerhaps it’s a simple ABC.
Light weight paper – 1 sheet of A4 plain or lined paper (this sheet will make two miniature books); Coloured paper, wrapping paper, magazines or newspaper for book covers and spines; Scissors; Small elastic band, string or even a bobby pin to bind your book; Pencil; Glue
Fold your A4 paper in half, short side to short side – Take your time to try and match the corners and then flatten the paper with your hand.
Now, firmly run your finger down the crease to create a tight fold.
Make sure to do this every time you fold your paper.
Cut or tear the A4 sheet in half, short side to short side. Save one half to make another book later.
Fold the paper in half, short side to short side,
and in half again, short side to short side,
And in half again, short side to short side.
Open the paper up - there will be 8 rectangles.
These rectangles will become the pages of your book.
Cut the paper with scissors, so you have four sets of folded double pages.
Fold the cut sheets in half, short side to short side.
Put the folded pieces inside one another.
This folded block will become the pages of your book.
It is called the book block.
Put the book block to one side.
Open your book block, place it on the plain side of the paper you have chosen for your cover.
Draw around it making sure to add a little extra height and width so it fully covers the book block.
Cut a strip of paper, magazine, wrapping paper etc. the same height as your cover.
Glue this spine strip to the outside cover of your book.
Wrap the cover around your book block. Open the entire book to the middle page and ‘bind’ your book together with an elastic band, string or bobby pins.
Enjoy writing and drawing in your book!
Can you make an even smaller book?
This video will guide you through the book-making process.
Take a look at these brilliant miniature books made by some of your favourite authors, from Jacqueline Wilson to Philip Ardagh, Axel Scheffler and Katherine Rundell.
Delve into tiny, handmade books by Jacqueline Wilson, Axel Scheffler, Philip Ardagh, Joseph Coelho,Katherine Rundell, Viviane Schwarz and Jane Porter. Then get tips for writing your own mini book from author, S F Said.
Create an illustrated adventure story, exploring what it would be like to be really small.
What if you were the main character in a story? What would the world of your story look like? What would happen?
From miniature people, to towering giants, playing with size and scale add a fun dimension to children’s books!
Take a look at some tiny treasures including the earliest collection of nursery rhymes and delve into the worlds of The Borrowers, The BFG and The Smartest Giant in Town.
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