it's that book
  • Home
    • DPCA Book Fair
  • Blog
  • Shop!
  • Join My Team
  • Host a Party
  • About Me

discover that book

a blog about usborne books & more

look inside construction sites

8/2/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
"Mom, a digger!" "Mom, an excavator!" "Mom, look! A grader!" I have two boys. One is 3, the other is approaching 5. I hear about construction machines all. day. long. It's gotten to the point now where, even if I'm out by myself, I'll point out construction machines I pass on the road. So when I saw that Usborne was releasing a brand new lift-the-flap book about construction sites (Look Inside Construction Sites, by Stefano Tognetti and Rob Lloyd Jones), half of me thought "wow, perfect!" and half of me thought, "oh man, another construction book for our collection?"

But I have to say, I love this book and am so glad we added it to our collection. Like all of Usborne's lift-the-flap books, this one is packed full of information. The illustrations are colorful and detailed, a blend of informational (like workers carrying a pipe to the site) and playful (like workers standing around drinking tea). This book would be worth it just for the surface content, but of course, the flaps add layers of engagement and detail that make it even better. 

One of my favorite aspects of Look Inside Construction Sites is that the first two pages (but feels more like four with the layers of flaps) focus on the process of building a house. On the first page, you see the foundation process - prepping the land, digging trenches, pouring the foundation itself. Turn the page, and you see walls going up. One flap that's half the size of one page adds a layer of interior floors and exterior brick-laying; a flap almost the size of the facing page then overlays, with two flap layers, the roof beams and then the finishing elements. It's a concise, yet in-depth, dissection of the building process, all packed into these two pages!
From here, you get to see elements of building a skyscraper, examples of "super machines," the process of building a bridge, components of building roads and tunnels, and finally a glimpse of the demolition process. And each page has a different, creative layout of flaps to pile on the layers of exploration. 

​Ok, maaaybe my boys' fascination of construction sites has rubbed off on me. Or maybe I just can't resist a good book. :) My guess, though, is that it's a combination of the two;  
Construction Sites teaches fascinating nuggets of information on each page and does it in a way that you can't help but read every caption and pore over every flap. 
It's that book that'll inspire you to stop at every construction site you see... and pull out the book on the spot to explain what you're watching. ​​

Book benefits:
  • Combination of engaging illustrations and practical information mean your readers will be fascinated and learning at the same time!
  • Flaps offer an impressive depth of information
  • Sturdy hardcover binding and thick card stock pages will hold up to many, many readings
  • Usborne Quicklinks page adds even more dimension with extra videos and games about construction process - definitely worth a look!

Buy Look Inside Construction Sites here! ($14.99, hardcover)

Want to check out more lift-the-flap books in the Usborne collection? You have about 70 to choose from! Peruse the collection here.
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

how do flowers grow?

4/21/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
"Mom look, sunflowers just like we have!" My garden isn't quite as abundant as I would like yet, but I love that my boys are excited about "working" in it and tending to our plants. And now that they've seen flowers growing in real life, they are even more curious about how they work. 

And behold, now we have a book that explains it all! How Do Flowers Grow? from Usborne (written by Katie Daynes, illustrated by Christine Pym), is a hardy lift-the-flap book that takes you through the many questions that might pop up about flowers. Do plants need food? What does pollen do? What's inside this pod? Why do some plants have tasty berries? ...and, of course, What's making that smell?

Each page is filled with flaps that answer these questions - and of course, like with all Usborne flap books, the flaps aren't  formulaic. One flower has four flaps that open outward, another has spikes to mirror the spiky seed it's explaining... a tree flap even has a mini flap of a bird nest to peek through. And besides the flaps, the pages also contain textile elements like finger tracing lines to follow a bee from flower to flower as it collects pollen, cut-outs to highlight changing weather (snowflakes, raindrops), and smell lines to emphasize stinky flowers. 

Essentially, each page has lots of detail to keep your kiddos engaged while learning about flowers! The illustrations are fun, too - they are detailed enough to accurately depict what's going on with the growing process, but cartoony enough to not feel like you are reading a science textbook. And the info provides an effective balance of teaching but not overwhelming.

It's that book that will make your kids see flowers in a while new way... and want to go plant some of their own!

Book benefits: 
  • In-depth facts presented in a fun, engaging manner
  • Hardy cardstock pages withstand lots of exploring
  • Q&A format encourages kids to ask questions
​Order your copy of How do Flowers Grow? here! ($14.99, hardcover)

If you are a fan of these early flap books, check out others in the "first questions" series! 

0 Comments

the curious case of the missing mammoth

2/12/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
"Skorpiovenator was an egg-eating nest raider. Its cool name means 'scorpion hunter' because there were loads of scorpions living where its fossil was found." This is just one of the many facts hidden within the pages and flaps of this interactive picture book. On the surface, The Curious Case of the Missing Mammoth (a Kane Miller book by Ellie Hattie and Karl James Mountford) is about a big brother mammoth looking for his baby brother with the help of a boy named Oscar - but, like so many Usborne books, there are layers to this story!

Oscar, a little boy, wakes one night at midnight and sees a mammoth outside his window. The mammoth, Timothy, is looking for his brother, who has escaped from The Curious Museum during the nightly "magic hour" between midnight and 1:00. Oscar and Timothy catch glimpses of baby brother Teddy as they chase him back to and in through the museum.

What follows is a tour of this fun museum during magic hour, while all the animals and paintings and fossils on display come to life. As you follow little Teddy through the museum, flaps of all shapes and sizes teach you about books, pilots, sea turtles, dinosaurs, and any number of other curious subjects.

And, as an added bonus, If you love the little character of Teddy, you can buy him as a plush! This little guy is really sweet - he's soft, bright-colored, and looks ready to be hidden around the house for your young explorers to discover again and again. 

It's that book that combines learning and storytelling into a sweet adventure.

Book benefits:
  • Brightly colored, detailed illustrations beg to be investigated
  • Flaps and labeled illustrations on each page balance storytelling with learning
  • The unique museum setting introduces young readers to the delights of museums!
  • Teddy plush brings this adorable 2D character even more to life

Buy The Curious Case of the Missing Mammoth here! ($16.99, hardcover)
Add a little Teddy plush to your life ($12.99)
0 Comments

how things work

1/14/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
"This is the gear. One goes this way, the other goes that way." That was Josh explaining to me how cogs work, a recent revelation thanks to Usborne's See Inside How Things Work (written by Conrad Mason, illustrated by Colin King). This is a flap book with 90+ flaps to lift - some even multi-layered for the same image - that teach about everything from plumbing to trumpets to tower cranes.

One great element of this book is that the pictures and the words are both educational. My boys don't read, but they love looking at the diagrams, which have detailed illustrations with arrows and color coding to explain concepts. But read the captions as well, and you'll learn a new layer of how everything works together. 

And parents can learn, too! I never knew how those tall tower cranes were constructed, but I do now. Have you wondered what's really going on inside a lock, or how hair dyers heat up so quickly? Wonder no more! It's all explained in these easy-to-follow diagrams.

It's that book that will help you answer all those questions coming from the backseat.

Book benefits:
  • Flaps of all shapes and sizes to explore
  • Themed pages to show connections between simple and complex machines
  • A wide variety of topics to engage kids with all sorts of interests
  • Easy-to-understand explanations of what's going on
  • Detailed diagrams to help pre-readers be equally fascinated
  • So. Much. Information. Hours of exploration waiting for you!

Added bonus - this book is part of a series, so if your kids like this book, you can keep 'em coming!
Buy See Inside How Things Work here! ($14.99, hardcover)
0 Comments
    Picture

    author

    Hi there! I'm Christine - Usborne Books & More independent consultant, kids' book fan, English teacher, mom of two boys. 


    archives

    November 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017

    categories

    All
    Active Engagement
    Alphabet Books
    Animals
    Baby Books
    Bedtime Books
    Board Books
    Chapter Fiction
    Combined Volume
    Counting Books
    Dual Readers
    Early Elementary
    Early Readers
    Farmyard Tales
    Flap Books
    Good For All Ages
    Internet Linked
    Late Elementary
    Machine Books
    Middle/high School
    Middle School
    Nature
    Nonfiction Books
    Phonics Books
    Picture Books
    Reference Books
    Story Books
    Toddler Books

    RSS Feed

Picture
Mission statement of Usborne Books & More: "The future of our world depends on the education of our children. Usborne Books & More delivers educational excellence one book at a time. We provide economic opportunity while fostering strong family values. We touch the lives of children for a lifetime."
Picture
All writing on this site 
​
© 2019 
Christine Bailey
Bookstore link

This website is designed by Christine Bailey, Independent Consultant with Usborne Books & More. Usborne Publishing Ltd and Usborne Books & More - EDC Publishing - Kane/Miller books have no connection with this web site and the pages therein and do not sponsor or support their content.
  • Home
    • DPCA Book Fair
  • Blog
  • Shop!
  • Join My Team
  • Host a Party
  • About Me