Make a bookshelf

Anitha Bennett

Here’s how you can make a bookshelf for yourself. It’s quite simple! You will need:

• A sturdy cardboard box

• Poster board or two thick card-board sheets 

• Scissors/knife

• Paints/gift wrapping paper

Preparation guide:

1. Choose a cardboard box of the dimensions that you want your bookcase to be. Remove the top flaps.

2. lay the cardboard box on its side. Thus you have the outer frames of the bookcase in place.

3. Cut out two pieces of thick cardboard or poster board — one of the same height as the box and one of the same width. Check the depth of the box and cut the cardboard pieces accordingly.

4. next, measure and mark the centre of each cardboard piece and make slits on the sides of the cardboard strips using a knife or scissors. The slit should begin from the centre of one of the sides and go till the centre of the cardboard.

5. Now slide the slits in the cardboard strips into each other. Make sure you get a tight fit. now fit this into the cardboard box and you have four little shelves!

6. Paint your bookshelf in vibrant shades to match your room colours. Or glue attractive gift wrapping paper instead.

7. You could also make this a hanging shelf that holds magazines. Or nail the shelf near your bedside for a cozy book nook. You could also make a larger bookshelf with different-sized shelves using this process.

Day for others

Here are some facts and trivia about books:

• The origin of the word ‘book’ comes from a tree. In the early days, Romans used the thin layer found inside of the bark to jot down their thoughts. And so, the English word ‘book’ evolved from the word ‘bog’ which is the Danish word for birch bark.
• The Library of Congress, Washington DC, UsA, houses 28 million books. The library shelves would extend to 532 miles if placed endto-end. If you were to drive past them at 70 mph, it would take you eight hours!
• The world’s highest-selling book is the Bible. And this holy book is also the most shoplifted title worldwide!
• The world’s biggest book was published in USA and it’s about the kingdom of Bhutan! It weighs 60 kg (133 pounds) and has pages that are 2 metres (7 ft.) wide and is a visual treat with evocative photographs of the tiny country.
• Author Michael Hawley, a scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, says that the 122-page book could flatten someone if it falls from its shelf!