Open the practical worksheet for this guide ↓

An accordion book can be read one panel at a time or opened into a continuous strip. That gives a small story two useful views: a sequence and a whole. It works particularly well for a changing object, a short journey, or a scene that gradually reveals more information.

This project uses one rectangular strip, three creases, and four panels. There is no sewing, added spine, or glued extension. Use flexible paper, a pencil, a ruler if you want measured panels, and scissors only if you are cutting a larger sheet into a strip. Begin with an undecorated model.

Make four equal panels

A convenient example strip is 28 centimeters long and 10 centimeters high. Four equal panels are therefore 7 centimeters wide. These are project measurements, not a standard book format. Any manageable rectangle works if its length can be divided into four equal sections.

  1. Place the strip horizontally. Bring the left end to the right end and crease the center at 14 centimeters.
  2. Keep it folded. Fold the top flap back so its free edge meets the central folded edge. Crease at the quarter point.
  3. Turn the folded piece over and repeat with the other flap.
  4. Open the strip. Seen from above, its folds alternate like a W or an M. Each panel is 7 by 10 centimeters.

The Center for Architecture accordion book activity demonstrates this four-panel folding approach. Work with the creases you have made rather than forcing all three in the same direction. If yours stacks as a roll, reverse the outer folds into the alternating arrangement.

Decide how the reader will enter

For this example, unfold the strip completely and choose the side you will illustrate. Keep the top edge consistent. Pencil 1, 2, 3, and 4 lightly across that face. Use a small title within panel 1 rather than reserving a whole panel for a separate cover. When folded, select panel 1 as the visible front and check that the sequence opens in the intended direction.

You can decorate the reverse later, but do not depend on an unplanned flip to explain the first story. If the front and back each carry a separate sequence, mark their beginnings clearly. A first version can use only one face and remain complete.

A worked story: a paper boat meets a puddle

Panel Visible action What changes
1 A small boat sits beside a puddle The situation is established
2 The boat floats near one edge It enters a new space
3 A leaf blocks its route There is an interruption
4 The boat rests beside the leaf The interruption becomes company

Keep the boat recognizable across panels by retaining its basic triangular silhouette. Change its position rather than redrawing an entirely different object. A pale puddle shape can continue across folds, while the main actions sit inside panels. This lets the open strip read as one scene without hiding important details in creases.

Draw a rough version before adding detail

  1. Write one action for each panel on scrap paper.
  2. Make a tiny four-box thumbnail sequence.
  3. Check that panel 3 does something different from panel 2.
  4. Transfer only the large shapes to the book. Keep a small blank area around each crease.
  5. Open and close the model. Add text only where an image cannot carry a necessary connection.

If you prefer nonfiction observation, use four views of a shadow changing across a tabletop. Label imagined changes as imagined; do not present an invented sequence as a recorded observation. For language-led work, a short scene can be reduced into four physical beats before drawing.

Choose an alternative when the format resists

  • The story needs a hidden surprise: a page-turn mini zine may control the reveal more clearly.
  • The strip falls over: display it at a gentler zigzag on a stable surface, or keep it as a handheld book. It does not need to stand.
  • The middle feels crowded: remove secondary objects, not the space needed to open the folds.
  • The paper resists folding: restart with a more flexible sheet rather than pressing harder with a sharp tool.

End by viewing both the closed sequence and the fully open strip. Each should have a clear beginning and a deliberate final image. Store the small book folded without placing weight on an awkwardly twisted joint. A simple paper structure deserves an equally clear reading path.

Put this guide to work

Your four-panel story strip

Plan one visible change across a continuous folded strip.

Use the spaces below or print a blank copy. This feature does not submit or save your entries. Keep passwords and sensitive details out of this worksheet.

  1. Record total length ÷ 4 and the consistent panel height.

  2. Mark panel 1 and the top edge on the chosen face.

  3. Write one different visible action for panels 1–4.

  4. Choose one background shape that can cross the folds.

  5. Record whether the sequence and whole strip both read clearly.

Worked example

A 28 × 10 cm strip makes four 7 × 10 cm panels. A boat enters a puddle, meets a leaf, and ends beside it; the boat remains recognizable across all four images.

The linked Center for Architecture activity demonstrates alternating four-panel folds. Dimensions here are a project example, not a standard format.

Blogus Mag — Build a Four-Panel Accordion Story Book
https://blogusmag.com/build-accordion-story-book/