ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Hornbook

A hornbook is sort of like a little book or tablet that kids used a very long time ago to learn their ABCs and how to read. It was made of a flat wooden board that had a handle made out of cow horn attached to it.

On the board, there was a piece of clear material, usually a piece of cow's horn, to cover the thin sheet of paper or parchment with the alphabet, numbers, and basic prayers on it.

Kids used a hornbook to practice their writing too! They would dip their pen in ink and trace over the letters and words to practice writing. So, a hornbook was like a tool or device to help little kids learn how to read and write a long time ago.