The book consists of the dedication in Latin "To the Grand Duchy of Lithuania", two prefaces: one in Latin (in prose), and one in Lithuanian (in verse), a primer, the catechism, and the book of songs. The rhymed preface in Lithuanian, "The Appeal of The Small Book Itself Unto Lithuanians and Samogitians", is the first authentic verse in Lithuanian. An acrostic, the initial letters of its lines from 3 to 19 downwards, form the name of the author, Martinus Masvidius, thus confirming his authorship.