I have always loved books. After having kids, my passion for books and reading has become slightly more than an obsession. I have close to 200 books on my Amazon wish list and have probably pinned equally as many books or booklists on Pinterest. Not too long ago, I discovered Usborne Books’ touchy-feely and sticker activity books and fell in love. So, I was beyond excited to be allowed to write a review about Usborne Books and Fairfield-based Usborne consultant Jen Borreggine.
If you are unfamiliar with Usborne Books, they create colorful and educational books for children. In 2014, they were recognized as both Children’s Publisher of the Year and Independent Publisher of the Year, and many of their books or book series have won individual book awards. Their books cover ages 0 to 15 and include chapter and non-chapter books, fiction and non-fiction, and several start-to-read collections. Usborne even guarantees their books for life – so if your books are “well-loved” (read – eaten, or destroyed by little hands), Usborne will replace them for 50% of the retail price. You can purchase their books in some select bookstores. Still, most of their sales are through individual consultants like Jen Borreggine, where you can access more than 2,000 Usborne offerings and a personalized shopping experience.
Jen Borreggine became an Usborne representative about a year ago, and in speaking with her, I can tell she is just as enthusiastic and passionate about books as I am (if not more so). You can purchase books through her Usborne website, where you can shop or ship directly to your address, or through Jen, who has a wealth of information about the products and can offer age-appropriate recommendations. She also provides several customized programs such as book of the month or quarterly or yearly book subscriptions, where you can specify the age of the child and your budget, and she will make recommended selections or, if you like, you can have the recipient select what books they want to receive. Just think how great this would be for a shower, baby, birthday, or holiday gift! You can also arrange for Jen to organize a book fair or fundraising program or host an in-home Usborne sale.
Speaking with Jen, we discussed my and my girls’ familiarity with Usborne books, what titles we already had, what interests my girls, and what I focus on when selecting book subjects. Cuing off of the fact my oldest is an emerging reader, that I am always searching for mulmulticulturalemed books, and that both of my girls are super into building and constructing, Jen selected and sent me three amazing books to check out and review. All have been a big hit in our house.
- Muddle and Match: Imagine is a fun, mix-and-match board book filled with alliteration. The book pages are split into thirds, so your child can mix up the characters and the storylines for some creative and often silly stories. My oldest loves creating silly stories about Bella, Wilma, and all of the characters in this entertaining book.
- Stories from Around the World is a collection of traditional stories (such as Puss in Boots, How the Turtle Got Its Shell, and The Magic Doll). As I am constantly looking for books featuring multicultural characters, this was a personal favorite of mine. The book includes 22 stories from around the world that range from 2-3 to 6-7 pages long—the perfect length for a read-aloud bedtime story.
- See Inside Great Cities, a BEAUTIFUL flap book featuring famous cities worldwide. My girls are both into building and constructing using anything from their blocks, Legos, stacking toys, and cardboard boxes. We have several architecture—or engineering-themed books, so this book was a fun complement. I have to admit, however, that I might be even more in awe of this book.
In addition to these three amazing titles, Usborne carries the well-known board book series “That’s Not My…” for infants and toddlers, phonetics books for early readers (Bee Makes Tea is a current favorite with my oldest), several Shine-a-Light books (where young readers “discover” additional images by shining a flashlight through the page), those activity and sticker books that I mentioned in an earlier post, and hundreds of more great educational reads!
