Protecting Books: Help Needed!

A while back I shared about Owen eating books. I was struggling with trying to balance having books out for the kids to read with knowing that a book left out would be destroyed. 

After writing my post, I felt better--just writing about it helped my mental struggle.  And then, one of my readers offered a great suggestion--to deconstruct pages of a book and then protect them in page protectors and seal them with packing tape.  (Thanks for the inspiration Michelle!!!).

Except...I didn't have any page protectors.  What I did have was a bunch of low quality gallon sized Ziploc type bags.  And so I selected a book that the kids love.  And one that we have two copies of (you know...in case I really messed it up!).  Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. It's a book we read frequently in our homeschool.

And so, with a quick thrust of a knife, I removed all three staples from the book.  And then took advantage of the marvelous creases to carefully pull each page apart.  My spatial sense definitely got a workout trying to get everything back in the correct order.  But I did it.  I now have all the pages in bags.  And I'm ready to put it together.

But I can't...I'm just not seeing how to make this work.  I'm hoping you can help me.  It may be that my bags are just too tough. In which case, I'll just have to pick up some page protectors next time I go shopping.  I was just hoping to get this one book done while I'm waiting. 

Here's what I've got....

A book with each page in a ziploc type bag. 

My problem...

These are too thick to hole punch, even one at a time.  I was hoping to tie them together with some natural bailing twine we have rolls and rolls of.  But without being able to punch the bags...I don't think that'll work. 

I'm not quite seeing how to make taping them work.  I know it probably would...but I don't see it.  I tried using packing tape, and I got the covers taped together.  But then...the inside pages all fell out. I'm sure there is a way to tape the pages to the next one somehow.  But yeah...I couldn't make it work.  Did I mention that spatial sense is my lowest intelligence?  It is...

I thought of stapling, but my stapler won't cut it. 

So....I thought I'd ask   beg for help.  Any ideas?  I'm totally seeing how page protectors would work.  And I'll pick some up for the next book(s).  But anyone have a way to make this work?  I'd love to let Owen have this soon. 

Thanks so much!!!