This is a horn book which gets its name from the piece of animal horn which covers the paper. Horn from an animal such as a cow, was shaved very thinly so that it was transparent. It was then fixed on top of the paper with tacks along the edges or in the corners. It protected the paper and the precious text from children's finger marks. Modern replicas today use plastic sheets as a protective covering.

This reading material is the English alphabet and the Christian "Lord's Prayer". Children learned to read by holding the horn book by the handle and reading the text aloud in class.