Kindergarten Ideas

The Start to Read Pack and Very First Reading packs are great for Kindergarteners.

Start to Read Pack: This is designed to start children on the path to reading, contains eight paperback Very First Reading titles, activity book with parents' notes including a spread of stickers, and a poster. The books introduce the letter sounds in the order normally used in schools, using the synthetic phonics system, and the workbook provides follow-up and consolidation activities for each book. If you child is a brand-new reader, you might find this pack helpful. It pairs with the online site Teach Your Monster to Read. 
See one consultant's overview of the pack HERE.

Very First Reading: The 15 book boxed set includes a helpful parents’ guide. It has more books than the Start to Read pack, contains hardcover books, and lacks the workbook in the start to read pack, but some of the titles are the same. If you child is already on the path to reading, you might opt for this set. Online resources are available at www.veryfirstreading.com.
HERE is Peter Usborne discussing this set.

Here are some of our bestsellers for Kindergarteners:

Shop Usborne with me. Questions? Contact me via my Usborne page. 

Reading Levels

Want to find a book for your child's reading level? Try the linked chart with lexile levels. Make sure the "lexile" tab is selected at the bottom of the chart.

Usborne Lexiles

Books printed by Kane Miller are on the following list. They are labeled with lexile and grade level:

Kane Miller Lexiles

Many of these books also have the AR level listed, so if your kids attend a school that does Accelerated Reader, you can see which ones have quizzes available on AR.

Unsure about your child's Lexile level? Here is an approximation by MetaMetrics:

Shop Usborne with me! Questions? Contact me via my Usborne page.

Grades 4-6

There are many great offerings for the upper elementary set! Here are some of our bestsellers:

Other great books for Grades 4-6:

• 100 Science Experiments has activities to help students learn about science, and it's internet-linked for more photos, videos, and information. (ages 9+)
• Extreme Adventures is an action series about young Sam getting himself out of extreme situations. HERE is a trailer. (ages 8+) 
• Penny Dreadful is a series with engaging stories and characters (ages 8+)
• 
  

Shop Usborne with me. Questions? Contact me via my Usborne page. 

Engaging Nonfiction!

Usborne is an industry leader in nonfiction. Why?

They make nonfiction books that kids really WANT to read! Their nonfiction has a high ratio of pictures to text and uses many strategies to engage readers. 

With Common Core and the increase of accessibility to information all the time, there is even more stress on reading nonfiction than in recent years. As a junior high teacher, I can tell you that most kids are not thrilled at the thought of reading nonfiction, but if we can show kids how interesting and helpful nonfiction can be, hopefully we can slowly change their minds. 

Here are few of the types of books Usborne makes to engage readers in nonfiction from an early age (these are just samples):

Shop with me at Usborne Books & More! 

Questions? Contact me through my Usborne page. 

Shine-a-Light Books!

These are so fun, seriously. My kids love using a small flashlight behind the pages to reveal the "secrets," and I love that they are learning some basics of nature and biology as they engage with the books!

Check out the Shine-a-Light books here. 

Shop with me at Usborne Books & More! 
Questions? Contact me through my Usborne page.

What is your reader interested in?

Usborne has something for everyone! Look through the following graphics to find something perfect for the little readers in your lives!

Shop with me at Usborne Books & More! 

Questions? Contact me through my Usborne page.

Preschooler Titles

Have a preschooler in your life? Help him or her get a head start on life by encouraging a love of books from an early age.

Here are some of our bestsellers:

My Preschooler loves listening to Ted and Friends and Farmyard Tales on CD with the text and sound effects. 

There are tons of great Phonics Readers and workbooks for emerging readers.

Is your preschooler ready to start reading? The Start to Read pack is great because it comes with a parent guide, an alphabet poster, stickers, and eight easy readers to help you get started. These are dual readers also, so you can read the longer text while kids learn to read the easier lines of text.

See many more great titles for preschoolers here. 

Shop with me at Usborne! Questions? Contact me through my Usborne page.

Every reader is different

Usborne knows that every reader is different, so they employ many strategies to appeal to a variety of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners.

Shop Usborne with me! Questions? Contact me through my Usborne page.

Usborne Activity Books

One of the things I love about Usborne is their dedication to getting kids INVOLVED in their reading. 

If we want kids to read, we have to help them love it.

How do we help them love reading?

1. Read to them! Kids love the interaction.

2. Make it fun! Don't be afraid to use silly voices.

3. Make it active rather than passive! Ask them questions about what you're reading, what's in the pictures, what they can infer, etc. Get books that encourage them to use their hands and their brains. Here are some that I love from Usborne:

Some of the books mentioned above:

• 365 Science Activities: Introduce your kids to the ideas of color, sound, matter, and more! (ages 6+)
• Muddle and Match: Interactive story-creating with alliterative phrases (ages 3+)
• Wind-Up Race Cars: So fun for kids who love to see things move! Also available, pull-back books for small hands. (ages 3+)
• Love these flash cards: 100 Things to do on a Trip -- I saw someone punch holes in the corners and put them on a binder ring, then glued a puff ball on the top of a dry-erase pen for easy travel. So smart! (ages 5+)
• My First Art Coloring Book: Introduce kids to famous artwork and genres while letting them be creative. (ages 3+)

Shop Usborne with me!