5.11.17

DOT AND DARCEY REVIEW: The Usborne Big Book of Bugs

Usborne are one of my favourite children's books publishers so I was so, so excited when Victoria contacted me to ask if she could send Darcey a book. Victoria is an Independent Usborne Organiser and she is fantastic! She asked me a little bit about Darcey, her age and what she likes/dislikes and then she told me that she had thought of a good book and would be popping it in the post. A huge envelope arrived- Darcey was so excited to open it and find The Usborne Big Book of Bugs inside- Victoria could not have chosen a better book, my five year old is fascinated by anything to do with creepy crawlies- the hairier the better!
We have looked at this stunning book so many times- I have included some photos but they don't really do it justice. The illustrations are so detailed and beautiful, there is just enough information on each page without a young reader feeling bombarded. Darcey and I both agreed that our favourite feature of the book were the 4 giant fold outs- they open up to the equivalent of 4 pages of the book each and bring a lovely element of fun. The language and vocabulary used is pitched just right for this age range, it is not patronising but not so technical that a young reader may lose interest.
Usborne do not solely publish non-fiction books, we have a number of their fictional titles too but personally I think they excel in the non-fiction arena. Their books are well made and sturdy, bright and inviting. We have a few of their lift the flap question books (the dinosaur one is Darcey's favourite) and they are brilliant- I think at this age children still like a bit of interaction and Darcey loves deciding which flap we will lift next and what questions we will find the answers to.


I think that Victoria's role as an Independent Usborne Organiser is so important; she is a teacher and a mum of young twins so she is in a great position to use her experience and knowledge to make recommendations. You don't get that from Amazon! I know you can go to a book shop (which I definitely advocate doing) but sometimes as a busy mum, I simply don't have time and so having access to someone who can help make age and reading ability recommendations is so helpful. Victoria is based in Birmingham but she will happily post out books within the UK so check out her  Facebook page, The Word Worms. She has a fantastic loyalty scheme where you buy 5 books and then get 20% off the next one and she has some very lovely ideas for Christmas, including putting together individual packages containing books, sweets and even a soft toy to suit your child's interests. I am still adding to my list to order before Christmas- I love buying books as gifts for children and I have been spoilt for choice when looking through Usborne's catalogue- plus Darcey keeps circling all the ones she wants too! 

Many thanks to Victoria for sending Darcey such a wonderful book and introducing us to a different and personalised way to shop. I have popped her details below if you want to find out more about Usborne or to start your Christmas book shopping! 

Victoria Willams
Phone/Text: 07753 728 389
Email: Victoria.lwilliams@yahoo.co.uk

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