Building A Great Home Reference Library With Usborne Books: Supporting a Lifestyle of Learning

From the early years through the teens and into the adult years, Usborne offers top-notch reference books that support and deepen learning.

For almost fifteen years, Usborne Books have been a mainstay in our house. We have read poems, fairytales, myths, legends, retold classics, more recently, graphic novels and, last but not least, our beloved Farmyard Tales series❤️. Over the years, we have done doodling books, origami, mazes, math puzzles, sticker books, jigsaw puzzles, joke books, knowledge quiz cards and wipe-clean cards …

I’m writing about a different “branch” of Usborne this time around. Reference Books. Usborne has been well-known for a very long time for its absolutely gorgeous, reputable, high-quality non- fiction.

These are encyclopedias and reference books that kids, teens and adults can dip into as needed or wished. Alternatively, they are fascinating to just read through and provide maps, periodic tables, diagrams that are beautifully designed.

But why a home library? With public libraries, e-books and the internet, why bother having hard copy books around?

The presence of high quality books with a range of information about the world invites learning. It is an invitation to investigate, research and question. Learning about one thing tends to make us curious about another which leads to more investigating. 

They are visual, tangible and permanent. There is something about seeing something that’s available that encourages us to go see what we can find out about it. The internet is wonderful but it’s not the same as having physical resources visually available. The books are also physical rather than virtual which is often nice for kids to hold and lay open or for multiple people to look at together. Yet, they still have the internet aspect because of the links. It’s  a win-win.

Reference books and encyclopedias are very practical for either finding information quickly or offering a clearer way of explaining. I remember one of my guys taking a live, online high school Science course and getting really stuck on something related to chemical equations. He couldn’t seem to master it quickly from the information offered by either the teacher or the internet but by spending an hour spreading out the Illustrated Dictionary of Science, together with the Internet- linked Science Encyclopedia and its recommended links, and going back and forth between the two, he was able to solidly grasp it.

They have well-researched internet links. Remember that my son had already looked on the internet for information but had a much easier time learning with the online sites that Usborne recommended? That’s likely because Usborne has carefully selected links that relate really specifically and effectively to the information and skills they’re highlighting. There might be a few or several links for a skill that offer a few different ways to understand it, including hands on practice. By using those, he was able to teach himself.

The internet is amazing but it is also huge so can take a lot of wading through to find the best sites on a topic whereas Usborne has done that leg work for you.

The internet links included in the books are simply FUN. Even for older kids and adults, it’s neat to have a ready made list of links to try out on a topic. I remember getting into links about different whales and it took us to a whole host of sounds that whales make. It was fascinating and actually became hilarious to listen to. A link from the Usborne Internet-linked Science Encyclopedia took us to the tour of the International Space Station that we have in our Learning Links section. That virtual tour was fascinating. It showed us where they sleep, where and how they use the bathroom and how they eat their meals and snacks. I’ve watched it a couple of times since.

Usborne has a multitude of titles so these are a few general recommendations. For a much greater selection, including an opportunity to peek inside many of the books, go to www.usbornebooksathome.ca.