Look Mom, I can draw!!!

This great book is perfect for the budding artist, or even parents who are continually being asked to help with a drawing. Part reference-book, part activity-book, this will walk kids through different objects in an easy to follow step-by-step manner. There is plenty of room to practice drawing within the book, but it of course can be saved for future reference. The Big Drawing Book is available for $11.99

These remind me of the "I can draw animals" and "I can draw people" books, but I love that this is activity book that kids can draw, doodle and color in too! The "I can draw" books are available for $4.99 each, and include step-by-step directions, as with the "Big Drawing Book."

Billie B. Brown and Hey Jack!

These series of books are one of my all-time best sellers! Written in Australia, they are slowly being released in the US, three at a time, and we are now up to nine titles in each of the Billie B. Brown and Hey Jack series.

One of the many great things about this series is that although one is "for girls" and the other "for boys", Billie and Jack are best friends, so for most of the books, they both appear, and can be easily enjoyed by either boys or girls.

Both series are written for 4-7 year olds, and focus on issues that are relevant to our growing kids. There are four chapters in each book, with a maximum of 50 words to page. They are fantastic as read-alouds for younger kids and simple enough for building confidence in early readers. These have also been widely popular in second grade classrooms, where they are at an appropriate level for students having trouble reading, but also an adequate level for a quick read for more advanced readers.

I've heard stories from clients of these books turning a reluctant reader into an eager reader! The lessons focus on a broad range of topics, such as friendship, athletic ability, new siblings... Each book is available individually for $4.99 or can be purchased as a 9-book set for $39.99. I expect that new titles will be added to each series in January.

You can see the full selection for Billie B. Brown and Hey Jack! online.

New Titles from Usborne and Kane Miller!

I've just returned from the annual Usborne Books & More convention, and have so many new titles to share! But first, what puts the "More" in Usborne Books & More?

Usborne books are produced in the U.K. by Usborne Publishing, and are published and distributed in the U.S. by Educational Development Corporation (EDC). In 2009, EDC acquired Kane/Miller Publishing, a San Diego based company which specializes in award-winning children's books from around the world. Books from Kane/Miller offer a chance to expose our children to other cultures they may not otherwise experience. This "more" has been a fantastic addition to our catalog, bringing the total number of books available to around 1500.


The first of the new titles I'd like to share is a Kane/Miller title, from England, called "Jungle Animals" by Anton Poitier and illustrated by Sophia Touliatou.

This is a very fun book with lift-the-flap fun, and predictive text, which makes this great for little ones who are just starting to read. Each left hand page reads "Can you find me? I'm hiding somewhere!" and has an illustration of a jungle animal (the first one is an elephant). On the right hand page are four flaps to turn over in sequence, and in each one is a different animal, with text that reads "It's me" and the name of the animal. After turning over all four flaps, the backside of all the flaps together shows the animal from the left page that we were originally searching for, and has the text "You found me!" After reading this aloud with my children just once, my 5-year old emergent reader began reading this all on her own.

Other great features to keep kids engaged: there is a small bird hiding throughout the book, and at the end is a picture of all the animals, asking readers how many they spotted.

The recommended ages for the book is 3-6, but you do have to be careful with younger kids, as the flaps do not close easily on their own as pages are turned. The book has 10 pages and is 10.25" x 7.25".

The book is available for purchase online for $12.99, or can be ordered directly through me.

Who are we?

As an Educational Consultant for Usborne Books & More, I am able to provide high-quality children's books to schools and libraries, as well as directly to families. I grew up with Usborne books in our home, and have fond memories of my sister and I poring over pages, spotting Stephen Cartwright's little yellow duck hiding, while also learning words in different languages! Naturally I was happy to be able to share these fantastic books with my own children. This business presented itself as a chance to have even more of these great books in our home, as well as a chance to spread the word to others and to generate an income.

With a great mission statement like this, how can I not love working with the Usborne Books & More team.

A staggering 65% of 4th graders read below grade level. As a consultant with Usborne Books & More, I have a real opportunity to have an impact on reducing that number, by getting our books in to as many hands as possible. Usborne was named the 2012 Children's Publisher of the Year, with very good reason! They are dedicated to publishing books which continue to draw kids in, speaking at their level and not down to them, and include fantastic illustrations to easily engage.

In addition to offering home parties, in which I can share some great tips for encouraging a love of books in your own home, I work with schools to offer no-cost book fairs and reading incentive programs. We offer a matching grant program to any organization using donated funds, and have a goal of donating $1 million in books this year! And we have a fantastic fundraising program that offers up to 40% back to any group looking to raise money.

I look forward to working with you to find the right book that will touch your child and foster a lifetime love of reading.