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a blog about usborne books & more

look inside construction sites

8/2/2017

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"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.
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big book of big machines

5/30/2017

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"This truck is used for mining. It's SO HUGE and HEAVY that it can't be driven on normal roads without damaging them." That's one of the many facts you'll be asked to read again and again as your kids fawn over this BIG book. My boys love trucks and excavators and helicopters and fire trucks and... well, you get the picture. So this book was an automatic winner! And I have to say, it's as fun for me to peruse, too - I am a big fan of books that will hold my interest when I'm reading them repeatedly with kids!

The Big Book of Big Machines (Usborne, written by Minna Lacey and illustrated by Gabriele Antonini) is full of energy. From the giant fold-out pages featuring giant machines, to the added emphasis through bolded words and caps, to the fun little dotted lines pointing out specific parts of the machines, the pages can't help but draw you in and make you excited about learning new facts. Oh, and the excavator crushing an old car with its claw on the first page doesn't hurt, either! My boys were hooked instantly.

Each page focuses on a different theme: mining machines, farm machines, flying machines - you get all sorts in this book. There are essentially seven pages, four of which fold out one way or another to highlight some of the biggest machines. And each page is packed full of interesting facts - one of the fastest trains is the JR-Maglev, which has reached a top speed of 361 miles an hour. An auger can drill 16 feet deep, as deep as an Olympic diving pool. The Mil Mi-26 helicopter can carry 100 passengers! 

It's that book you can only properly explore while sprawled out on the rug because the pages are so big. 

Book benefits:
  • Each page features multiple machines and layered facts, which ensures hours of entertainment and inquiry
  • Big fold-out pages will delight kids and add to the impressiveness of the machines
  • The facts are bite sized, but there are a lot of them - so it's interesting for little ones to read without being overwhelming
  • People are included with most illustrations to give an easy sense of proportion
  • Hard cover and heavy duty cardstock pages mean the book will last!

Buy The Big Book of Big Machines here! (hardcover, $14.99)
  • There are lots more available in the big book series, including bugs, tractors, animals, planets...
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Click on the photos to get a sense of the BIG facts and illustrations:
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shine a light

3/3/2017

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"Mom, where's my blue flashlight?" This is a question I get daily from one of my boys or the other - they LOVE using flashlights. So naturally, the Shine-a-Light series was an instant hit in our house merely because they require the use of flashlights! But that's just the beginning of what makes them fun. 

These books are hardcover picture books with pages that alternate between full color and black and white. The full color page gives a fact and asks a question: "Three astronauts will travel to the space station in a spaceship. They will be in space for many months. Can you see what the train is pulling?" or "Silky threads catch the light. Who could have made this web?"
After guessing the answer to the question, you hold a flashlight behind the page, and the secret object is illuminated (in these examples, a rocket and a spider). When you turn the page, you'll see the hidden object in black and white relief, along with extra facts about it. 

These books are full of information and intrigue, as your kids shine the light around the page in search of whatever is hiding. And, with 13 books in the series to choose from, your kiddo is bound to find at least one they will love! The books in this series are written by Carron Brown, with a handful of illustrators adding artwork - so the language is comfortably familiar, and the illustrations stay fresh.

It's that book you want to cozy up with in your fort with a flashlight. 
Book benefits:
  • Automatic interaction because a flashlight is mandatory!
  • Pages will keep you guessing with intriguing questions and not-always-predictable answers
  • Integrated facts help you learn without even trying
  • Full-color illustrations are full of detail 
  • Each book has 36 pages - they pack a lot in!
  • The entire Shine-a-Light series has a broad spectrum of topics to interest all types of kids

Check out the Shine-a-Light books here! ($12.99 each, hardcover)
Ambitious? Buy the whole series and save 20%!
Current customer special: Secrets of the Apple Tree is 30% off with a $40 book order
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    author

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


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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.
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