How to Wrap Thin Books

Wrapping Paper

Set aside a few pre-cut strips of clear tape. Grab a roll of clear tape and snip off a few short pieces for your gift-wrapping needs. Stick these along the side of a nearby surface so they’ll be close by as you’re wrapping your gift.

Measure out a square of wrapping paper that’s bigger than your book. Unroll a fun, colorful roll of wrapping paper to decorate your gift. Place your book in the center of this paper, so you can get an idea of how much you’ll need. For reference, 2 to 3 in (5.1 to 7.6 cm) of space is a good margin to have between the edge of the book and the edge of the wrapping paper.

Cut out a large square or rectangle of paper. Work your scissors along the edge of the paper in thin, short snips, which helps you create a smooth edge. Once you’ve cut out the paper, set it aside with your book.

Fold both halves of the wrapping paper over the center of the book. Grab the left side of your loose wrapping paper and flip it over the center of the book. Run your finger along this folded edge to make it smooth, crisp, and professional-looking. Repeat this process with the right side of the paper, folding it over the right side of the book. Stick a piece of clear tape along these overlapping sections of paper to hold it all together. The left and right sections of the wrapping paper will be overlapping.

Take the unfolded edges and fold the corners into a triangle. Grab both unfolded corners of the wrapping paper with both hands, bringing them towards one another along the seam of the wrapping paper. At this point, the wrapping paper will look like a triangle.

Tuck the triangles into the center of the gift and tape them into place. Hold onto the triangular section of paper, folding it forwards onto the seam of your gift. Grab another piece of clear tape and place it on top of the triangle to hold it in place.

Repeat this folding process with the other unfolded edge. Take the unfolded corners along the other side of the package, folding them into a triangle on the other side of the book. Grab this triangle and fold it towards the center of the gift. Tape this in place to finish wrapping your thin book! Both sides of the book should be mirror images of one another.

Fold the wrapping paper with smoother edges if the book is bigger. Take the corners of your unfolded wrapping paper and tuck them into small triangles along the left and right edges. Then, fold in about ⁄2 in (1.3 cm) of wrapping paper, forming a trapezoid with the folded triangles. To finish up the wrapping, fold this section of paper onto the gift, taping it in place once you’re done.

Decorative Options

Replace your traditional wrapping paper with newspaper. Don’t panic if you don’t have wrapping paper lying around your home. Instead, grab your latest copy of the newspaper and use that to wrap your gifts instead. Fabric is also a great option for gift wrapping. Road maps are another clever kind of gift wrap you can use. Sheet music can add a musical touch to your gift.

Tie twine around the gift for a rustic touch. Grab a long section of thin rope or twine and loop it around your wrapped book. Secure the string in a nice knot or bow, which adds a stylish accent to your gift. As an extra-special touch, wrap several thin books and tie them together with a large piece of twine. Burlap can also add a fun, rustic touch to your gift wrapping.

Tape a card with the opening paragraph of the book onto the gift. Give your recipient a hint about what they’ll be opening up. Print or right out the opening paragraph to the book on a small piece of paper, which you can tape or secure to your gift.

Glue holiday-specific decorations to the wrapping paper. Dig through your craft supplies and see what sorts of fun designs you can glue onto your wrapping paper. Think about popular holiday symbols that you can possibly recreate on your book cover for a festive touch, like a reindeer or Easter bunny, and glue small craft decorations onto the paper to recreate them! For instance, you can glue 2 googly eyes and a small, red pom-pom on the wrapping paper to symbolize a reindeer.

Decorate your wrapping paper with fun emojis. Use yellow wrapping paper as the backdrop for thin books. Cute out special expressions for your emojis using white, black, and other multi-colored craft paper. Glue the facial expressions to the front of the package as a cute and fun finishing touch. You can play around with different expressions for your wrapping paper, like “cry-laugh” or “blowing a kiss.”

Create a chalkboard effect with black paper and white paint markers. Cover your thin books with a black craft paper, which makes your gift look like a mini-chalkboard. Draw out different designs with a white paint marker, which really helps your package look like a chalkboard. As a creative touch, write the “to” and “from” label directly on the paper. You can always draw on extra decorations, like a ribbon.

Play around with unique styles of wrapping paper. Replace your solid-colored paper for a bold, eye-catching pattern, like polka dots. If you’d prefer something more simplistic, simply wrap up your book with basic brown paper.