🪄 Turn Paper Into Art with the Best Origami Books!
Origami is more than just folding paper—it’s an art, a meditative practice, and a creative way to bring simple sheets of paper to life. Whether you’re just starting or looking to tackle complex designs, finding the best origami books with clear easy origami step by step instructions can make all the difference.
From simple animals to intricate dragons, these 30 best origami books will guide you through every fold, crease, and twist.
🎁 In addition, an origami book can become a fun and thoughtful gift for any occasion, perfect for people who love crafting and hands-on creativity. It’s also a great way to bond with kids and teens, turning paper folding into a shared, enjoyable experience for the whole family!✨
📃Ready to transform paper into art? 🌊 Let’s dive in!
Table of Contents
Easy Origami Step by Step Patterns for Beginners
1. Easy Origami – John Montroll
🔰 Best for: Beginners
A collection of 32 simple origami projects for novice hobbyists, clearly illustrated and easy to follow. Includes hats, cups, pinwheels, and more challenging designs like penguins and pianos. Perfect for beginners to master the art of origami.
2. Origami: Step-by-Step Introduction To The Art Of Paper-Folding– Wonder House Books
🔰 Best for: Beginners
This origami activity book provides step-by-step instructions for creating various paper models, from boats and planes to animals. Perfect for early learners, it fosters creativity, hand-eye coordination, and concentration while promoting patience and reasoning skills.
3. The Creative World of Paper Folding: Easy Origami Book with 36 Projects – Florence Temko
🔰 Best for: Beginners
Renowned origami author Florence Temko shares her simple and user-friendly designs in “Origami for Beginners”. Create over 40 delightful objects from a single sheet of paper, developing creativity and dexterity. Ideal for children, this book is also suitable for fans of all ages and abilities, perfect for those who enjoy handmade crafts.
4. Simple Origami: Over 50 pretty paper folding projects – Adeline Klam
🐦 Best for: Beginner to Expert
Create over 50 traditional origami projects with simple step-by-step instructions and hand-drawn illustrations. This collection includes projects from sea lions to sailboats, with detailed illustrations and difficulty ratings. Perfect for experts and beginners, the folds range from simple to complex, with fun toys, useful tips, and paper surprises.
Origami Flowers
5. Have Fun With Origami 3D Flowers – Hiromi Hayashi
🌺 Best for: Beginner to Intermediate
Create 3D origami flowers with 30 projects, including tulips, peonies, sunflowers, and more.
6. Origami Roses: Create Lifelike Roses and Other Blossoms – Naomiki Sato
🌹 Best for: Intermediate to Advanced
Naomiki Sato’s Origami Roses book presents 11 paper flower projects, including 7 types of paper roses and 4 other designs. Detailed instructions and photos guide intermediate to advanced folders in creating lifelike blossoms.
7. Beautiful Origami Flowers: 23 Blooms to Fold – Anca Oprea
🌸 Best for: Beginner to Intermediate
Create 23 sophisticated origami flowers, marrying origami and floral crafts. Projects mimic real blooms like lotus and cherry blossom, or invent new varieties. Includes basics section and stunning color photos.
Origami Animals
8. Origami Zoo: An Amazing Collection of Folded Paper Animals – Robert J. Lang, Stephen Weiss
🦁 Best for: Beginner to Expert
Origami Zoo invites you to create a menagerie with 37 original papercraft creatures, from exotic to whimsical, by Robert J. Lang and Stephen Weiss. Each project is true origami, folded from one piece of paper, with clear diagrams, instructions, and photos. Perfect for aspiring artists as a do-it-yourself gift.
9. The Ultimate Book of Origami Animals: Easy-to-Fold Paper Animals; Instructions for 120 Models! – Fumiaki Shingu
🦍 Best for: Beginner to Expert
This book offers 120 easy-to-fold origami animal models, from cute pandas to menacing sharks, with step-by-step instructions. The book includes various animals like dogs, cats, lions, elephants, and more, with difficulty levels ranging from easy to challenging.
10. Animal Origami for the Enthusiast: Step-by-Step Instructions in Over 900 Diagrams/25 Original Models – John Montroll
🦉 Best for: Intermediate to Expert
This book offers step-by-step instructions and diagrams for 25 intricate origami animal models, from simple to complex, using a single square sheet of paper. Renowned origami expert John Montroll’s meticulously developed folding sequences help create better models with fewer steps. The book includes symbols, basic folds, and patterns for 25 animals, such as angelfish, seal, walrus, and lobster, making it suitable for intermediate-level folders and inspiring beginners to improve their skills.
11. Origami Sea Life: Third Edition (Origami Fish) – John Montroll, Robert J. Lang
🐳 Best for: Beginner to Expert
John Montroll and Robert J. Lang’s Origami Sea Life features 38 creative models, including barnacle to whale, with step-by-step instructions and biological sketches.
12. Dinosaur Origami – John Montroll
🦖 Best for: Beginner to Expert
This book features 25 origami dinosaur models, suitable for intermediate folders, including well-known species like triceratops and tyrannosaurus, as well as lesser-known ones. Master designer John Montroll provides clear instructions with illustrations throughout.
13. Mythological Creatures and the Chinese Zodiac Origami – John Montroll
🐉 Best for: Beginner to Expert
This collection of origami models features legendary beasts and animals from the Chinese zodiac, created from a single sheet of paper. The book includes simple to complex models, with crisp instructions and diagrams, suitable for origamists of all levels.
14. Realistic Origami Animals: 32 Amazing Paper Models from a Japanese Master – Fumiaki Kawahata
🦘 Best for: Beginner to Expert
This book features 32 realistic origami animal models by Japanese master Fumiaki Kawahata. The full-color guide includes step-by-step instructions for folding unique and innovative designs, such as a bison, elk, flying squirrel, dachshund, kangaroo, and gorilla, without wet folding.
Butterfly Origami
15. Easy Butterfly Origami: 30 Pre-Printed Butterfly Designs! – Tammy Yee
🦋 Best for: Beginners
Discover the beauty of nature with 30 pre-printed butterfly designs. Fold unique butterflies with simple instructions and fun facts about behavior and distribution. Perfect for all ages, these colorful models showcase a kaleidoscope of colors and patterns from around the world. Each butterfly is crafted with accuracy, offering top and bottom views, and fun facts about behavior and distribution.
16. Origami Butterflies: Elegant Designs from a Master Folder – Michael G. LaFosse, Richard L. Alexander
🦋 Best for: Intermediate to Expert
Whimsical and fragile, butterflies have enchanted people for centuries. Origami artist Michael G. LaFosse developed original butterfly paper-folding techniques, hailed as the most important advance in origami since the first paper cranes. His Origami Butterflies book features 26 projects, including rarely-seen designs and new technical achievements made possible by the “LaFosse Origami Butterfly Folding System”.
Dollar Bill Origami
17. Easy Dollar Bill Origami – John Montroll
💸 Best for: Beginner to Expert
This guide features 32 easy-to-follow origami models, including animals, insects, and more, created from US Dollar bills. Suitable for all skill levels, the models include traditional and original designs, with numerous diagrams to help you recreate each one. Perfect for gifts, party decorations, or a creative outlet.
18. Dollar Bill Origami Book: 30 Designs That Turn Money into Art – Janessa Munt
💸 Best for: Beginner to Expert
Transform everyday money into art with 30 original dollar bill origami designs. Master intricate models like a rose, shark, bulldog, and more. Each design comes with clear diagrams and full-color photos. Categorized by difficulty, there’s something for every skill level, from beginner to advanced.
Origami Airplanes
19. Origami Airplanes: 28 Easy-to-Fold Paper Airplanes from America’s Top Origami Designer! – Michael G. LaFosse, Richard L. Alexander
🛩️ Best for: Beginner to Expert
World-renowned origami designer Michael LaFosse presents 28 original paper origami models with innovative features like faceted flaps and spoilers. This book includes step-by-step instructions, expert tips, and video tutorials for creating 28 fun and challenging projects. It’s great for paper airplane enthusiasts, fans of unique origami, and parents with kids. The book covers selecting the best folding paper, designing planes, control surfaces, and aerodynamics. Models include the Lock Nose Dart, Flying Fox, Art Deco Wing, and F-102 Delta Jet.
20. The New World Champion Paper Airplane Book: Featuring the World Record-Breaking Design – John M. Collins
🛩️ Best for: Beginner to Expert
John Collins, a world record holder, presents his book featuring the world record-breaking paper airplane design and 16 tear-out models. The book includes innovative flight theories and step-by-step instructions for 22 unique designs, including the record-breaking “Suzanne” plane and four “Follow Foil” aircraft.
Star Wars Origami
21. Star Wars Origami: 36 Amazing Paper-folding Projects from a Galaxy Far, Far Away… – Chris Alexander
🤖 Best for: Beginner to Expert
This book, Star Wars Origami, combines paper folding with Star Wars characters. It features 36 projects, ranging from easy to tricky, with custom-designed paper and original art. The book includes a foreword by Tom Angleberger and is scheduled for release with his new book.
22. Star Wars Origami 2: 34 More Projects from a Galaxy Far, Far Away… – Chris Alexander
🤖 Best for: Beginner to Expert
Make Star Wars characters, ships, and objects with origami, including Darth Vader, Kylo Ren, BB-8, and more. Book includes 34 projects with illustrated instructions and photos, plus 72 sheets of specially printed paper.
Harry Potter Origami
23. Harry Potter Origami Volume 1 – Scholastic
🧙 Best for: Beginner to Expert
This 112-page origami guidebook features 15 foldable crafts, including Howler, Quidditch, and other Harry Potter-inspired objects, creatures, and settings. Perfect gift for every Harry Potter fan!
24. Harry Potter Origami Volume 2 – Scholastic
🧙 Best for: Beginner to Expert
This Harry Potter Origami Volume 2 book contains step-by-step instructions to create 15 magical props from the films, including the Flying Ford Anglia, Hagrid’s Hut, and character models. It includes special paper, illustrations, and photography for reference.
Modular Origami
25. Dover Kusudama Origami Book – Rona Gurkewitz, Bennett Arnstein
📈 Best for: Beginner to Expert
This book introduces 17 modular origami polyhedra projects based on Platonic solids, suitable for beginners to experts. Clear instructions and diagrams guide the creation of complex, geometric forms. Includes photos of complete models, background on Platonic solids, and references.
26. Dover Kusudama Origami Book – Ekaterina Lukasheva
🧠 Best for: Advanced
This book teaches traditional Japanese paper sphere construction, known as kusudama, using modular origami. It includes instructions for over 40 complex designs, from stars to flowers.
27. Mind-Blowing Modular Origami: Use Origami Math to fold Complex, Innovative Geometric Origami Models – Byriah Loper
🧠 Best for: Advanced
Modular origami is a paper folding technique that creates 3D models from small pieces of paper. Author Byriah Loper has pioneered a “wire frame” approach, creating complex geometric constructions. This book provides easy-to-follow diagrams and instructions for folding and assembling paper components to create 22 models, perfect for learning origami and displaying on your desk or shelf.
Complex Origami
28. The Complete Book of Origami: Step-by-Step Instructions in Over 1000 Diagrams/37 Original Models – Robert J. Lang
📈 Best for: Beginner to Expert
This ultimate origami guide by Robert J. Lang features 37 easy-to-follow models with over 1,000 detailed drawings and photos. The book includes introductory folds for beginners and advanced models for experts, featuring 3D models and action folds with moving parts. Projects are arranged by difficulty and include a range of animals, objects, and characters.
29. Origami Art: 15 Exquisite Folded Paper Designs from the Origamido Studio – Michael G. LaFosse, Richard L. Alexander
🧠 Best for: Intermediate and Advanced
The Origamido Studio’s “Origami Art” book features 15 advanced origami projects with intricate designs, including an American Alligator, Pond Turtles, and a Malaysian Birdwing Butterfly. The book includes 144 pages of full-color illustrations, clear instructions, and tips on advanced folding techniques. Perfect for intermediate and advanced paper folders, the book requires some basic knowledge of folds but is accessible to those new to origami.
30. Advanced Origami: An Artist’s Guide to Folding Techniques and Paper – Michael G. LaFosse, Richard L. Alexander
🧠 Best for: Advanced
This advanced origami book features 15 original and challenging projects with step-by-step instructions, color photos, and diagrams. It covers advanced techniques like “wet folding” and papermaking, and includes a DVD with video lessons. The book focuses on models from nature, such as hummingbirds, bats, and sea turtles, and is suitable for experienced folders seeking to create master-class level 3D origami projects.
Final Thoughts: Which Origami Book Will You Pick?
No matter your skill level, there’s an origami book out there for you. Whether you want to start with simple folds or challenge yourself with complex models, these fantastic origami books will inspire your creativity.
Happy folding! 📜✨
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