My DS's preschool had a "book fair" and they are selling Usbourne Books, the books that my ds picked out are $12.95, 8.95 & 6.95 +tax, I saw one of the books and it does seem nice, but IMO not much different from the cheaper books that I can buy at Walmart or at a discount store. What do you ladies think of these books??

Also, I'm a bit bent b/c 2 weeks ago I put in a $10.00 order for the Firefly book club(Scholastic) thru the school, and the way that they did this "book fair" was they let the kids look at the sample books and then the sales lady wrote down the top 3 books that my son liked, kinda sneaky IMO, I mean, MY kid is used to me telling him NO on things and will most likely forget about it anyway, but still!! (sorry for the mini-rant)

TIA

__________________

I am an Usborne consultant. There is at least one other one on MommySavers. I actually am not an active consultant, just because I cannot leave my kids that much at night to do parties..and dh travels. I do love our books, though. I own a good bit, obviously! LOL What one are you looking at? I might be able to tell you more about it.

__________________

I really like the Usborne books. I just started buying them just before Christmas and have been addicted ever since!

__________________
~SONJA~

I do own a few but do I think they are worth the cost not really! JMO. Then again I think the same thing of any home party things like Discovery Toys. They get you with the tax+ shipping.

Dont get me wrong they are good books but if you look at any bookstore I think you could get the same education at a cheaper price.

Thanks, the 3 that he is interested in are................

Tractors & Trucks Stencil book
Rusty's Train Ride
Puzzle Train

What do you think of those, for a 5 y.o. boy, going to KG next fall, that is crazy about anything with wheels??

__________________

I use several of the Usborne books in our homeschool and love them! I think the price justification depends on the book. I probably wouldn't spend some of the prices they have on some of the "pre-K" type books, but the encyclopedia-type books are well-worth their money, if you will use them. We have definitely gotten our money's worth out of the Encyclopedia of World History!

__________________

Homeschooling Mom to Daniel (12 Years), Andrew (9 Years), Stephen (7 Years) and Emily (3 Years)

*************Visit AyeOhKay's Blog - "Frugal & Fun"**************

Yes of course I bought the pre k ones when ds was 2 and i felt we never got our moneys worth out of them.

One purchase that paid off but still cost me more was the Big Book of Mazes, we tore out the pages and put them in plastic sleeves. Bought a wet eraser marker so that he can do them over and over. Did the same for their dot to dot activity book. These I bought from a girl at church who was a consultant. She was selling at a vendor fair and did not charge for shipping.

I'm also an Usborne Education Consultant, meaning I can sell to schools, etc. BUT I'm not active either. They are great books, and really great for homeschooling. Buying at a fair is normally cheaper than buying them from the store and they store selection is limited. All the books have hidden educational bonuses that you wouldn't get from a walmart book. Like hidden pics on the pages to find, etc. For the 3-5 age group my favs are ABC and 123. Those are the BEST preschool books! For your son's age I don't really agree with the books they listed. I think 5 is topping the age range and since you are spending money I would buy the next age level up so he can grow into them. Like the puzzle books those are so neat and the great search books, not picture books, unless you happen to be looking for early readers then you could get some from the phonics series. Now the train puzzle and maybe the stencil book are good, but Rusty's Train Ride I wouldn't buy, in fact I think I have an extra copy I'll look for it for you.

i forgot to add that usborne books are built with better quality than the scholastic books, meaning the cover/pages aren't as thin and they don't rip up etc like the $1 S. Books. Usborne also guarantees the books so if it gets ruined you can replace it with just the cost of shipping.

I'm such a book nerd, I buy too much but I don't believe there is a such thing as too many books!

I agree with Jennifer about the beginner learning to draw book, that is great for a 5 year old!

__________________

A woman is like a teabag. You never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water.-Eleanor Roosevelt

Rusty's Train Ride is actually one of Riley's favorites...because he is a beginner reader AND loves trains, he likes that he can READ about them!! I haven't seen the Puzzle Train one...but the stencil ones are not my "thing". Instead, I really like the learn how to draw ones. That way it doesn't limit them to just one way of drawing. Usborne has a beginner, intermediate, and advanced book for drawing. We own all three...and use/love all of them.

__________________

Usborne books are nice, but expensive. They do last. I have found them at Barnes & Noble, Borders and Amazon. In truth, I wouldn't go out of my way to go to another "party" or one of their school fairs just because they are a bit overpriced, but if I come across a couple I like and they seem worth it, I will get it.

__________________
Make someone's heart smile today.