Monday, December 21, 2015

Book Review: The Usborne Write Your Own Storybook

The Usborne Write Your Own Storybook
Recommended ages 8 and up
Publisher: Usborne Books & More

The Usborne Write Your Own Storybook is great for creative kids who love to make up their own stories and comic strips. It is also a great book to add a little fun to your language arts homeschool curriculum, which is how I am using it with my 8 year old daughter.


This book is full of activities to spark kids creativity and imagination. It also has the space for them to be able to write their stories in this book.

Here is the table of contents.


She loved this part where she could write all the names of her stories, and it correlates to the page number they are on.



My 8 year old daughter was immediately intrigued when she saw this book. She has always been interested in writing stories, but sometimes doesn't know where to start. This book was excellent at not only giving her ideas to spark her creativity, but it also tells you the parts of a story and how to put the story together.


The book has a great section on making up a character, and it gives kids a diagram to fill in to help them create an interesting character.


There are many sections that teach kids many different writing styles, and each section has its own description and inspiring ideas to get you started.

Some of the sections that are included are:

Writing from a different point of view
Finishing a partially written story
Writing a story about a picture
Create your own fairy tale
Comic strip writing
Writing a time travel story
Create your own superhero adventure
Whodunnit: writing a mystery
Top secret spy mission
Pony Trouble: write what happens next
Your Story the Movie: Create a Cast List and Soundtrack



Towards the back of the book is a story writing toolkit. This section has a lot of tips to help your kids plan stories and develop their writing skills. Like all Usborne books this book has colorful pages and fun illustrations to make learning fun.




The book itself has a really nice feel to it. It is a hardcover book with a hidden spiral spine so that the book will lay flat for an easier time writing. 

There are so many topics and activities to keep your child engaged, learning, and having fun for hours! I was amazed when I gave this book to my daughter, and she spent nearly 3 hours captivated by writing in this book. I highly recommend it!

Also what an excellent keepsake book this would be filled with stories that were all written by your child!

To order click on the link below: https://x4827.myubam.com/p/1243/write-your-own-storybook


Book Review: I'm a Dirty Dinosaur

I'm a Dirty Dinosaur
Recommended ages 2 - 6
Publisher: Kane Miller

My 4 year old son loves dinosaurs, and loves to play in mud puddles so this book was an easy choice for us. When we received this book My first impression was how colorful and inviting this book looked. 


The book starts out with the dino getting a dirty snout and then a dirty face. Each page containing colorful line drawings, and splatters of mud.


This was one of my son's favorite pages. "I'm a dirty dinosaur with a dirty tum. I splatter it with mud and I tap it like a drum."


It is written in a very engaging, rhythmic tone that makes this an irresistible read aloud story. Every three pages has a colorful refrain that begs for kids participation. 


It ends with the dinosaur covered head to toe in mud from his day of fun playing in the mud. So he heads down to the swamp for his bath.


This this a great read aloud book for bath time, bed time, or anytime! It is also a great book for beginning readers because there are not a lot of words on each page, and it will definitely keep their attention.


I love that this book has thicker then average pages because it makes it much sturdier for my toddler and preschooler. This is a beautifully laid out book with a hardback cover, rounded corners, and of course thick pages all of which make this an excellent choice for your family bookshelf!

To order click the link below: https://x4827.myubam.com/p/3738/im-a-dirty-dinosaur

Friday, December 18, 2015

My new distributer kit arrived!

When I saw that big Usborne Books box on my front porch it felt like Christmas came early! :) I was so excited to open it, and I showed all the amazing books to my husband that night. The next morning the kids couldn't wait to see what had come! The new distributer kit had something for each of my kids, which worked out very well. It made our homeschool day just a little more exciting today.

I actually had a hard time fitting all the books in the picture. Here are the books that came inside my kit:

Before I could even finish unpacking the whole box my son stopped me and begged me to read On the Construction Site (A Shine-A-Light Book). So of course we had to read it! My kids have so much fun with the shine-a-light books!


My daughter was very excited when she saw the Usborne Write Your Own Storybook. I love how Usborne makes learning fun! We will be incorporating this into her homeschool language arts program.


There were even books in there for my toddler. She loves the touchy feely books, and I was so glad that Usborne included some of those in the kit as well.


That's the peek inside my new distributer kit. Stay tuned for some more in depth reviews of single books!

 If you are interested in checking out any of these books just click on the link below.

https://x4827.myubam.com

Monday, December 7, 2015

What is Usborne Firelight Books

So what is Usborne Firelight Books all about? I am a new independent distributer for Usborne Books and More, and I am going to use this blog to review some of my family's favorite books and also highlight some upcoming specials as they become available. My family loves books, and Usborne books have always been a favorite in our house. They are interesting and engaging. I named this blog after one of my favorite quotes by Victor Hugo. "To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark." Check back often to read my latest Usborne book review. In the meantime you can email me with any questions at firelightbooks247@gmail.com
Thanks for stopping by!