printables

Printable mini book: fold one A4 sheet into an 8 page story

Turn one sheet of A4 or US Letter into an eight page mini book with a single cut. The print settings, the folds and the right reading level.

Jeanine Saunders · October 9, 2026 · 5 min read

A girl with curly hair and glasses in a blue dress stands by a stone well, with a frog sitting on the edge among pink roses.

One sheet of A4 (US Letter in the US) is all a printable mini book needs. You print on one side, fold the sheet into eight panels, make a single snip and fold it up into a palm-sized eight-page book, without staples or glue.

The story inside is what makes it worth printing. Fabliko writes short reading stories with your child as the hero, at their reading level: a UK book band, a US guided reading level or Dutch AVI. Read a story together on screen, or print it at home as a poster for the loo. With Fabliko Plus you also get it as a fold-up booklet and as word cards.

All eight pages sit on one side of the paper, so check four settings before you print:

  • Landscape: the sheet lies on its side, with four panels in a row.
  • Single-sided. Switch off double-sided if your printer uses it by default.
  • Scale at 100% (actual size or default in some print dialogs), never fit to page, because a shrunken sheet puts the fold lines in the wrong place.
  • No margins. The sheet is already made to the right size.

Plain printer paper is fine, in colour or black and white. Half the pages print upside down on purpose; folding turns them the right way up.

Folding and cutting, step by step

  1. Halve the sheet lengthways, lining up both long edges. Crease it, then open it out.
  2. Fold it into quarters the other way: first in half, then bring each end in to the middle. Open it out again: you now see eight panels, and on a Fabliko sheet thin dotted lines mark every fold.
  3. Fold it in half across the width again and cut in from the folded edge along the thick dashed line, stopping where the line ends. Open it up: the slit runs across the two middle panels only.
  4. Fold it lengthways once more and push the two ends together. The slit opens into a diamond. Keep pressing until the pages stack flat, then close the book with the cover on the outside.

That last push is fiddly the first time and soon gets easy. You handle the scissors; your child can squash the book shut.

How hard should the story in a mini book be?

If your child will read it on their own, it should feel easy. Aim for their school level or one step lower, so they read it smoothly with hardly any slips. Trickier stories are for reading side by side on the sofa.

In England, the books that come home are meant to match the sounds your child already knows. American teachers talk about an independent level for reading solo and a harder instructional level for reading with the teacher. Read more in our guides to book bands and guided reading levels by grade.

In Reception and Year 1, a home-made mini book comes on top of the books that follow your school’s phonics programme, not instead of them.

What does a Fabliko booklet look like?

The cover has a picture from the story, the title and your child’s name as the star. Inside, each page usually has two short bits of text and one picture. Small pages mean smaller letters than on the poster. On the back you’ll find your child’s avatar, “This booklet belongs to” with their name, and a “Read on:” line for the date.

The booklet comes with Fabliko Plus for stories of up to 12 pages; longer stories don’t have one. Plus also gives every story a sheet of twelve word cards: your child’s name, then the story’s first eleven different words, in the order they turn up.

One story for the whole week

Print the poster of the same story to go with the booklet. Stick the poster on the toilet wall for the week and slip the booklet into the school bag. Rereading the same short story on several days builds fluency.

FAQ

Should I print a mini book on both sides?

No. All eight pages are on one side, so print single-sided. The double-sided booklet option in your printer software is for a bigger, stapled book.

Can I use US Letter paper?

Yes. With the United States chosen under the flag menu (the default in the US), Fabliko shrinks the sheet to fit Letter and centres it, so your folds still land on the lines. Set the scale to 100% and margins to none.

Do I have to pay for the Fabliko booklet?

Yes, the booklet (for stories of up to 12 pages) and the word cards come with Fabliko Plus. On a free account you can read three stories and print the loo poster.

What if my child can’t read it alone yet?

Pick an easier level, or read it through together first. If books at their school level stay slow and full of mistakes, have a word with the class teacher.

Sources

Jeanine Saunders

Educational psychologist

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