Usborne Look and Say Books
Reading Level: baby-preschool
Publication Date: 2004-2008
Source of books: Received as gift
I received the four of Usborne's Look and Say books at my baby shower when I was pregnant with my daughter, and now that she's trying to say words, I pulled them off the shelf a couple of evenings ago. She really enjoys looking at the pictures and trying to repeat the words I say as I point to the pictures in the book.
The four books we own are:
School
Town
Beach
Jobs
So far, my daughter seems to enjoy the School book the best, which is surprising since the only animal in the book is a tiny hamster in a box a boy is holding. Each book is divided into five tabbed sections. The tabs themselves are rounded cardboard and contain a small picture that clues readers into the subject of the section. For example, in School , there is a tab with a picture of a colorful ball. It opens up into a two-page spread. On the left side are pictures of common things you commonly see on a playground with the word underneath the picture. On the right side is a group of children and a teacher playing on a playground, using the items that are pictured on the left. The final spread in the book shows all of the words that were introduced, along with their pictures.
Here's a sample spread from Birthday to give you a better idea of what I'm talking about.
The illustrations themselves seem to be a mixture of clay models, photographs, and watercolors, though most, including the people in the book, are impressive clay models. There are a variety of other objects on the right-hand sides, so you're not limited to teaching children only the words that are featured on the left. A variety of ethnicities and genders are also represented in the books.
If you're looking for books that will help introduce your toddler or preschooler to new words, these would make an excellent choice.
Some Reading Ideas:
- For babies just learning to repeat sounds, point to pictures in the book, say the word underneath, and ask your baby to repeat it. "That's a car. Can you say car?" Praise the child when they attempt to repeat a word or imitate a sound. Be careful not to get frustrated if they can't do it. Just move onto the next word. They're learning even if they aren't able to repeat it just yet.
- For older preschoolers who are able to identify objects, say the word and ask the child to find the object. You can also ask other questions to help them build and practice vocabulary. "Where's the bicycle? What color is it? Is a boy or girl riding it?, etc."
- Again for older preschoolers, have them find the objects listed on the left hand side that are also located in the scenes on the right hand side. "Where is the apple? Who's holding the apple? What color is his shirt? , etc."
Other books in the series include:
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