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Review: Usborne Books & More for Children

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I’m so excited to bring this review & giveaway to you! { EDIT: Giveaway has ended; Review update after 6+ months of use below)

These are great books that my daughter and the daycare kids have LOVED reading! I was not familiar with Usborne books prior to being contacted by Kimberly with Usborne Books & More about doing this review and giveaway, so I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect.  The books that arrived for us to read and enjoy far surpassed any expectations that I had.

About Usborne Books:

Usborne Books began in 1973 by Peter Usborne who wanted to create educational non-fiction books for children that could compete with other popular media like TV & comics. He hired educational consultants to help create books that not only spoke to a child’s interests but also sparked it.

Today Usborne is a major award-winning independent publishing company and was named Children’s Publisher of the Year 2012-2013. They publish over 1,500 titles of children’s books for infants to young adults and offer a wide variety of fun and educational books to meet your child’s needs.  From board books to early and emergent reading books to art activity books and even homework helpers & internet linked/referenced books!

From Usborne:

“Usborne Books are fascinating, lavishly illustrated books written with humor, surprise and drama. They incorporate activities and puzzles to challenge a child’s observation and intelligence. Their superb printing quality and exceptionally well-produced graphics, high ratio of pictures to text, short magazine-like format and unique detail set Usborne Books apart from anything yet produced. There is a wide range of subjects covering hobbies, history, science, nature, foreign language, parent’s guides and more. Usborne Books truly appeal to all ages, infants to adults, with prices to suit everyone. The books are printed on acid free paper, so the pages will last forever if taken care of properly.”

The Books:

The books we received from Kimberly, an Independent Consultant with Usborne Books & More, were amazing!  As I said before, I wasn’t sure what to expect from them but I was more than pleasantly surprised when we popped open the box and found these books waiting for us.

We dug right into the books, MB was the only one awake when the package arrived and I think she really appreciated that because she got them all to herself 🙂 The first book she fell in love with was “There’s a Mouse About the House” by Richard Fowler.  This book has multiple interactive elements.  There are flaps to lift and a small mouse that you use to follow the arrows and put though the slot in each page as you read along. MB thought the mouse was so “silly” and kept saying “hurry, hurry mouse!”

The pages of this book are thick enough that even when she slid the mouse though the hole a bit aggressively (“go, fast, now mouse!!”) it didn’t bend or rip. Now I’m not saying it wouldn’t ever rip, as it is paper, but it seems to be made from heavier paper than regular books so it can withstand the mouse going through the slots repeatedly.

I like that all of these books are sturdy and very well made.  I’ve bought many books from other publishers but the books are flimsy and end up damaged fairly quickly.  These books however are very tough and can take the overzealous “reading” from my toddlers and preschooler.


The books are simple and fun. They engage the kids in ways that allow them to interact and explore though simple activities and great illustrations. I didn’t feel like the kids were getting bored or loosing interest in them as we read them (over and over again) because they are short and relevant.  They have questions that engage the kids, encouraging them to participate while reading book.

   

The activity books are a great way to engross a child, I can totally see taking these along to restaurants, on road trips, or on long flights. They have bright, bold designs and a variety of engaging activities that can entertain your child for quite awhile.  My toddlers were a bit too young for this but the preschooler in my care LOVE it, especially the page with  fairy activities!

My favorite was the Touchy-Feely Farmyard book! I loved that each page had multiple animals to touch and feel.  Some touch/feel books tend to come apart easily and only have one small sensory area every page or so but this one had multiple different textures on the same page and the pages (and page seams) were well made and strong.  It also had flaps for the kids to lift and discover! We currently love lift the flap books.

You can read more about Usborne Books, see the full collection of amazing books, pick up a few of your own over at Kimberly’s website or even host a party!!  Hosting a party has some great perks, just contact Kimberly via her website and she’ll fill you in on all the rewards and details. Don’t worry if you’re not local to her either, Kimberly also does online, Facebook, and catalog parties so you can host from wherever you are.

Enter for a chance to WIN $25 in FREE Usborne books!!!!!! {WINNER} Congrats to CAROL SUE!!!

Kimberly has generously offered to give one lucky reader $25 to spend on any Usborne books you’d like from her store!   To enter please use the giveaway widget below! 

This giveaway is open to US residents, 18 years or older. Contest ends November 22, 2013. Winner will be announced here and emailed. Please note the email address you enter into the Giveaway Tools widget below is only used for notifying winner. Winner must reply to email within 24 hours or another winner will be chosen.

 

{ July 2014 Review Update }

We’ve now been using these books for over 6 months.  I’m very pleased with how well these books have have stood up to my daughter and the three daycare children (all under 3yrs old) over time.  The lift the flap book still has all it’s flaps and none of the books have bent or ripped pages, even with the heavy use and unforgiving toddler hands that have been using them.

They still remain some of my daughter’s favorite books and they are adaptable so as she grows the books still offer relevant learning and fun!

Highly recommend them! 

 

Please Note: I received a copy of the materials mentioned in this post for free in exchange for my honest review. Regardless of that fact, all thoughts and information provided about this books are 100% my own, honest opinion.

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Comments

  1. Regina says

    Ohh I like the Secrets of the Apple Tree! Looks so cool that it has "secrets" revealed by a flashlight!

  33. Cheryl B. says

    I would get the Secrets of the Apple Tree. My daughter just loves being read to so I am constantly buying her books.

  39. Kim Belcheff says

    My son loves to draw so anything with drawing or crafty stuff. OR Best Family in the World! My brother has an orphanage in the Philippines and we are considering adoption.

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