Book Scene Diorama Box Art

A shoebox

Acrylic paint and brushes

Cardboard scraps for scenery

Clay, pipe cleaners, or paper for characters

Craft materials — fabric scraps, sand, small rocks, paper, cotton for clouds

Glue and tape

Scissors

Choose a specific scene from a favorite book. The more visual the scene, the better the diorama will be. A forest, a castle, a ship, a bedroom — pick something with clear details to recreate.

Paint the interior of the shoebox. The back wall becomes the backdrop — paint a sky, a wall, or a landscape. The bottom is the ground — paint it green for grass, blue for water, brown for earth.

Build background scenery from painted cardboard. Cut tree shapes, building silhouettes, or mountain ranges and tape them inside the box, standing up from the back.

Create characters from clay, wrapped pipe cleaners, or paper cutouts glued to cardboard stands. They do not need to be detailed — recognizable shapes are enough.

Add ground cover for realism. Glue sand for a beach, fabric for a rug, torn green paper for grass, cotton batting for snow.

Build three-dimensional props — tiny chairs from cardboard, trees from painted dowels with tissue paper leaves, a campfire from stacked twigs.

Cut a viewing window in the top or side of the box to let light illuminate the scene.

Label the outside with the book title, the scene you chose, and your name as the artist.

The diorama tells a story in a single frozen moment. Choose the most dramatic or meaningful scene from the book.

Layers create depth. Background on the back wall, mid-ground elements a few inches forward, and foreground characters at the front give realistic perspective.

This project connects literacy and visual art. Building a scene in 3D proves deep story comprehension.

Take a photo through the viewing window. The framed miniature scene photographs beautifully.