What are the parts of a book?

Five Parts of a Book

There are five parts of a book that every child should know how to identify and use. You can help your children learn about these important tools while you read with them.

Title Page

The title page is the page directly inside the front cover that lists the title, author, illustrator, and publishing company. When reading a book, it is helpful to always start the book by reading the title, author, and illustrator. If you read this information from the title page instead of the front cover, you show your children what information is found on the title page without even mentioning it specifically.

Copyright Page

The copyright page usually follows the title page. While it often has quite a bit of very tiny writing that nobody looks at, it would be beneficial once in a while to mention that the date given is the date the book was published or printed.

Table of Contents

Not all books have a table of contents, but chapter books and most informative books will have one shortly after the copyright page. This is an especially useful tool for your child to be able to use. Take time to show them that each chapter is numbered and that you can look up specific chapters using the page numbers given in the table of contents. Let your child pick a chapter to read and then find that chapter by its page number.

Glossary

A glossary is like a dictionary in the back of the book. It will list the definitions for more difficult words used in the book. Encourage your child to look up words they don’t understand as they read. You could also point out to them that the words are listed in alphabetical order just like a dictionary. Not only will this help them understand how the glossary works, but it will increase their vocabulary at the same time.

Index

Young children won’t have many opportunities to use the index of a book, but it is a big help as they look up information (especially for writing papers) as they get older. The index follows the glossary and lists topics found in the book with the page numbers those topics are found on. Have your child choose a topic from the book. Then turn to the page numbers, and read what the book says about that topic. You may find that your children have fun finding just certain information instead of just reading through the whole book.

Pointing out the various parts of a book while you read to them is a way to make sure that your child can successfully use those tools. A child that can use these will be able to easily find information, whether for a question about their schoolwork or for a research report.

How do you help your child understand the different parts of a book?

Things you should know when using any library...

1) Always use a shelf marker. A shelf marker will help you put the book back in its hOME if you decide that's not the right book for you.

2) Never put a book back on a shelf with the pages showing. Always have the spine facing out. This way you will be able to see the title and author.

3) Never peel the barcode or protective cover off of a book. These are very important to your school librarian. The barcode is what will be scanned when you check out your book and the protective cover helps keep your book safe.

4) If you see any damage done to a book after you have checked it out, please make sure to let the librarian know so she can fix it and make a notation in the book. This also eliminates any responsibility on your part.