Level 1 • Lesson 74 — Design a book cover

Objective

Look closely at a favorite book and design a new cover that shows the title, author, and an important picture from the story.

Materials

One favorite picture book or early reader
Blank paper (folded to look like a cover)
Pencil ✏️, crayons, or markers
Ruler (optional) to draw neat title boxes

Mini-lesson — Parts of a book cover

A book cover is the front of the book. It is the first thing we see.

Most book covers show:

the title (the name of the book)
the author (who wrote it)
a picture that matches the story

Some covers also have:

small details, like stars, leaves, or tiny characters
strong colors to catch our eye

When we design a cover, we ask:

“Does my picture match the story?”
“Can a reader see the title and author clearly?”

Today you will make your own book cover for a story you know well.

You can use sentence frames like:

“The title is ___.”
“The author is ___.”
“I drew ___ because it is a big part of the story.”

Picture strip: A simple book cover with title, author, and picture

Guided Practice — Mini-book: Designing a book cover

How to use this mini-book:

Look at a real book cover together first.
Then read each page of the mini-book.
Pause to sketch that step on your child’s paper.

Say out loud: “Does this cover match the story?” If not, help your child adjust the picture or title.

Project words

cover title author picture scene character

Frames: “The title is ___.” “I drew ___ because it is a big part of the story.”

Mini-Book: Design a book cover

1

Choose your book

Pick a book you know well. You will make a new cover just for this book.

Which book will you choose?

2

Add the title

Draw a box for the title. Carefully copy the title from the real book cover.

How many words are in the title?

3

Add the author

Under the title, write “by” and the author’s name. This shows who wrote the book.

Who is the author of your book?

4

Choose one big scene

Think of one important scene or moment. Draw it big in the middle of your cover.

What happens in your big scene?

5

Add small details

Now add a few smaller details, like stars, leaves, or tiny characters.

What small details will you add?

6

Share your cover

Show your cover to someone. Tell how it matches the story inside the book.

What does your cover tell a reader?

Project Practice — Designing a cover that fits

Read each sentence about book covers. Choose the best answer. Then press “Check answers”.

1) What is the job of a book cover?

2) Which should be on the front cover?

3) Who is the author?

4) Your picture shows a dragon, but the story has no dragon.
What is the problem?

5) What is a good idea for the big picture on your cover?

6) Why add small details like stars or leaves?

7) Which sentence shows good thinking about your cover?

8) After you finish your cover, what is a good next step?

Quick Check (10 questions)

1) A book cover usually shows…

only random shapes the title, author, and a picture that matches the story your homework list

2) Where can you find the title and author to copy?

on your socks on your lunch box on the front of the real book

3) If you are not sure how to spell the title, you should…

look carefully and copy it or ask for help make up a new title leave the title box empty

4) A good cover picture…

shows something that never happens shows an important part of the story is only your favorite snack

5) Why is it helpful to think of one big scene for the cover?

so you can draw quickly so you never read the book so the cover is clear and not too crowded

6) Small details on the cover should…

connect to the story in some way cover up the title and author have nothing to do with the book

7) Which sentence is a good way to talk about your cover?

“I do not know what I drew.” “I chose this picture because it shows the main problem.” “I picked random things from my room.”

8) The author’s name belongs…

in your lunch box on the back of your chair somewhere on the front, usually under the title

9) After you finish your cover, you can…

compare it to the real cover and talk about both crumple it up forget which book it was for

10) To get better at designing covers, you can…

never look at book covers notice real covers and practice making your own draw pictures that never match the book

Assessment (parent/teacher)

Can point to and name the title and author on a real cover Designed a cover that matches a real book’s story Included a clear title and author name on their cover Chose a main scene or symbol that fits the book Can explain in simple words how their cover fits the story

Exit ticket (student)

😀 I can design a book cover that matches a story 🙂 I need more practice designing book covers 😅 Book covers still feel tricky

I will practice…

Finding the title and author on real books Drawing one big scene from a story Adding small details that fit the book

Lesson 74: Design a book cover