Buy Me Books & Buy Me Books!

My name is Lysa Long and I am a book-a-holic. I could use an entire room (or two) just to display and enjoy the books we already own. My dream home has a Beauty and the Beast sized library where I force my children to sit with me for hours enjoying our endless collection of amazing literature! But in my dream world, I don’t have to force them, because they love reading as much as I do (enough with the skepticism, it’s MY dream, and they WILL love it)! I have an obsession, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. After all, I could be obsessed with far worse things; like animal hoarding or sniffing Sharpies. I remind my husband daily how lucky he is to have a wife who doesn’t spend hundreds on shoes and makeup (while I happily submit my next book order online)! I have an uncontrollable desire to surround myself with books, and that persistent longing has led to a business venture; I became an Usborne Books & More Independent Consultant.

I discovered Usborne a little over a year ago as the North Park School Librarian. The library already owned several of the books and I was pleasantly surprised at their value and quality! Books are expensive, and as a librarian, it’s difficult to find books that are inexpensive, engage readers, and are built to last more than one set of destructive little hands. The books that were published by Usborne went out of the library all of the time, and they came back in the same condition. What’s more, the kids who didn’t like reading were checking these out. Usborne books engage reluctant readers. I was immediately interested. We all know how important reading is; kids who read often are kids who read well. However, that doesn’t mean kids enjoy reading. As a teacher, I get it. I know how hard it is to expect kids to read who just don’t like reading. But these books were working! They were engaging the kids, who just kept wanting more.

So, I started my research, and what I discovered was incredible! Peter Usborne founded the company in England with the belief that all children are geniuses; they just need the resources to unlock their brilliant minds! Usborne feels that, as a children's book publisher, his most important role is to persuade his young audience that reading & learning are both useful and fun. Usborne books use humor, puzzles, questions, surprises, step-by-step illustrations, flaps, and vivid colors to appeal to children, while feeding and exciting their minds. One Usborne consultant hit the nail on the head when she said to me, “Nonfiction books which merely explain are doing only half the job; if a book fails to make its subject attractive and interesting to the reader, chances are that the explanation will fail. Usborne Books are designed graphically to draw readers in, to make them want to learn more about the material, and to help them remember it forever. The magic of Usborne Books is that they make reading and learning enjoyable, not a boring or intimidating experience.” Peter Usborne set out to break down a child's resistance to reading and learning at home. These books are so well formatted that children absorb and recall more of the vast amount of information presented - and they don’t even realize they are learning!

I began buying these books for our home. My husband and I started incorporating them into our bedtime routines with our daughter (who LOVES them - really)! I brought them in and used them to teach in my classroom. My students ate them up! After I owned upwards of 35 titles of my own, my husband finally pointed out the obvious - it was time for me to put my passion to good use and earn us some extra income (at least enough to pay for my obsession). I became a consultant because if I’m going to share my obsession and spread it, childhood literacy is a pretty good obsession to spread! I have already enjoyed sharing these books with everyone I meet, through social media and face-to-face conversations. If you are looking for books for your reader, whether they are 1 month or 21 years, I would encourage you to hit me up! In my dream world, every child is a reader. Because of Usborne, I can help make that dream a reality!