Skip to content

(Usborne Books & More) Best Preschool Books – with Christine Sarvey

    Books can be pricey, and as educators and parents, we want to stretch our budgets and get the best bang for our buck. Tune in to today’s episode where you learn all about the best, highest quality books for your preschool classroom and your home.

    My guest is Christine Sarvey, an experienced educator and an Usborne Books consultant. She’s been bringing joy into homes across the world, promoting love for reading and the amazing collection Usborne Books offer.

    Today she shares her favorite books that you can use to entertain and teach. The best part is, these books are so fun that learning comes with ease. Perfect for preschools!

    When Was Christine’s Passion for Teaching Born

    Christine is a music teacher working with kids from kindergarten to fifth grade. She said her love of teaching can be traced back to her musical career as a student. She loved music and was very passionate about imparting that love and knowledge to kids.

    She worked both in preschools and high schools! When her first son was born, she went to an Usborne Books party and she was instantly hooked. They were showing videos about helping kids learn and read with joy, and Christine knew she needed that in her life. 

    Ironically, she didn’t like reading when she was younger. Today she’s a book lady! And she wanted her kids to read and enjoy school. When she got her first books she was impressed with the quality of both the story and the design. 

    Christine joined Usborne Books as a consultant and fell in love with her job so much so she might give up teaching. These days, she’s passionate about helping families get more books into their homes at great prices. 

    The Best Types of Books for Preschool Kids

    Christine herself has kids of preschool age and she’s proud of the library she built for them. The books have become toys in their house and the kids are really excited about learning. The majority of her collection is naturally Usborne Books. She’s a die-hard fan! 

    These days, her kids are enjoying wipe-clean books that help kids practice letters and numbers. They also like interactive books where you can lift the flat parts and create beautiful scenes. Tracing books are always fun as well, especially the ones with embedded trails you can follow with your finger.

    Christine’s favorites are shine-a-light-books that create amazing effects of light and shadow. You shine a flashlight behind the book and it reveals an amazing picture, making the whole experience thrilling for the kids.

    Their fiction books feature the sweetest stories that teach kids kindness and respect, and their non-fiction books are absolute game-changers. They make non-fiction so much fun the kids don’t even realize they’re learning.

    The best part is, Usborne books are super sturdy so they can take all the interaction and fun kids want to have with them. 

    These books tend to become toys for kids, easy to grab and engage with. They enjoy spending time with their favorites and develop a love of reading they wouldn’t otherwise. 

    In the preschool setting, books are perfect for a quiet time – kids can spend hours looking at pictures and tracing letters and numbers. 

    Christine’s Favorite Strategies to Make Children Love Reading

    Christine believes that the #1 thing that makes kids love books at a young age is the fact that they can engage with them. Not only are they educational and great for learning, but they’re also fun and inspire interaction. 

    She also recommends that you tap into your child’s interest and get them the books that align with their favorite animals, themes, characters… Having a lot of books around the house creates a reading atmosphere. You can put baskets with books right on the floors, so they can easily reach them. This is Christine’s trick to get them to pick up a book rather than a device! 

    Christine also likes displaying book covers on the shelves. With beautiful and interesting covers, kids are naturally drawn to these books. 

    She also keeps things fresh and often switches up the books she has in the baskets or on the display. Christine also created a small book nook where kids can curl up and read their favorites. 

    When it comes to older kids, she recommends parents set the bedtime a little bit earlier, so kids have 20 minutes to read before bed. 

    Most importantly, she believes that parents and teachers should model reading themselves. When kids see you reading they will naturally want to emulate you. Being a role model for learning and reading is the best thing you can do! 

    Additional Resources: