Usborne Reading Sets

[TheAntiChristi]

Hello, I saw these reading sets being shown by an Usborne sales woman. I am interested in the very first leve, thought it might be very good for DD1 who has just started Primary School. But it costs £75! I just wondered if other paretns had really found them useful?

The "First Reading" series is very good, but widely available in public libraries. The new "Very First Reading" series they've just brought out is really not necessary IMO. Lots of other books do the same and if you were stuck you could just recite rhyming words and save yourself a lot of money.

That's MrsG very helpful

we've just got the from the book people in SA - you might find them there? I mean the book people, not the ones in SA.

I'd suggest amazon they generally sell usborne books for half retail price. You'd have to buy books separately but it'd still be cheaper.

Try these two websites:
www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/qs_product_tbp?storeId=10001&catalogId=10051&langId=100&productId=55520

www.redhouse.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?storeId=10151&catalogId=18251&langId=100&pageSize=10&beginIndex=0&searchScope=SimpleSearch&resultType=2&resultCatEntryType=1&catgrpSchemaType=2&vipStatus=&fromPage=basicSearch&searchTerm=usborne+phonics&submit.x=15&submit.y=9

I was advised here by lovely members to buy the Usborne Phonics Readers Collection - 12 Books which is just superb. It is more expensive on the Amazon although cheaper than directly from the Usborne distributors.

I wouldn't spend £75 on books to be honest ( unless there were an awful lot of them and they were really good). Red House and The Book People also do Read Write Inc, Floppy's Phonics and Songbirds Phonics book sets which are at reduced prices and will give your dd a variety of easy phonics books to get her teeth into. After that (next stage on phonics IMO)I agree that the Usborne Phonic Readers Collection is good and is also usually available for about £10 from one of the above places!

Thanks very much. The book people seems an amazingly cheap place to get books. Great tip.

Try www.bookdepository.co.uk/book/9781409509233/Fat-Cat-on-a-Mat-and-Other-Tales cheaper still and no P&P

I have some that i was going to sell as ds has outgrown then. feel free to pm if interested. not full complete sets but a range of books from the level 1 -level 5. Will leave til end of week when i am going up to the book barn.

I did not know it is possible to buy a collection of all 12 stories in one book suggested by mrz. I see that it is also sold by http://www.amazon.co.uk/other-tales-Phonics-Readers-Collection/dp/1409509230 with free delivery, only 1p more. I think The Book People is still better than the Bookdepository because of the bigger choice. If you are prepared to spend 10-15 minutes on the Internet then it is possible to find a free delivery voucher for the Book People.

The Book Depository actually has a far greater choice of books than the Book People and usually better value than Amazon because there is no P&P

ooh how do I PM batbrains (nice name!)

My opinion would be to just buy one or two of each level in the set - each level has several stories.
in my shop I keep 3 or 4 of each level in the First Reading, then a few more of each level in the Young Reading. Yellow is the easiest, like ORT level 2and3, then lilac, which is a bit harder, then pink, then green.
each one has the sotry then a couple of comprehension questions/activities at the back. and lovely bright pictures

I have got the Very First Reading (which I think are genius) and at the moment, they're buy-one-get-one-free.

The Young Reading series is where it gets really exciting, because level 1 is fairy tales, level 2 is classics retold, and level 3 is harder/older classics retold - level 3 is what I always recommend for older children with dyslexia and concentration problems.

click on the message poster on the right hand side of my name.

IMO The early stages of Read Write inc, and Songbird Phonics ( as sold in the special offer packs) will be easier for your DD than the Usborne Phonic Readers Collection. Not saying you shouldn't get the Usborne ones (they're great) just that the others might be easier to start with. the Usborne Phonic Readers Collection is also harder than the Usbourne Very First Reading.

Sarahfreck, I bought Usborne Phonics Readers Collection and think they are very simple yet interesting books unlike the ones we get from school. Just look at the titles:
* Ted's shed
* Toad makes a road
* Shark in the park
* Big pig on a dig
* Goose on the loose
* Mouse moves house
* Sam sheep can't sleep
* Fat cat on a mat
* Fox on a box
* Hen's Pens
* Ted in a red bed
* Frog on a log

Could not be easier to read and the pictures are also great. I cannot say anything about the Usborne First Reading but in my opinion the Phonics Collection is suitable from 3 years of age. My two-year-old also enjoys these books. I doubt he understand most but the pictures help.

I agree with Sarah I wouldn't recommend the Usbourne books for a beginner reader just starting out

Agree with mrz and sarahfreck. As a teacher of beginners, and those with difficulties, the best set of books (for beginners) by a country mile are BRI from www.piperbooks.co.uk. These are the only ones to my knowledge which had extensive trialling, and refining in many educational jurisdictions in USA. Piper Books have updated and anglicized them

I'm in west yorkshire and primary schools follow oxford reading tree (characters biff, chip and kipper), I got 24 books called read at home, for £15 from the book people. They should be over £100! My ds loves them and they tie in with school reading books aswell :)

Not all schools in West Yorkshire follow ORT though, Colafizz - it's very much down to each individual school.

Octavia09. I agree the the Usbourne Phonics Collection has some great stories and of course children as young as 3 will be able to understand them if read to them and maybe recognise some of the words (a few children might even learn to read them at age 3 but not the average child).
My comments were based on the OP saying her child was in reception so will, at present, probably be learning single letter graphemes and learning to synthesise CVC words. As you can see from the titles you listed, those Usbourne books use some of the 2 letter graphemes (eg oo, oa, ar, ou - and many others inside the books as well) so are at higher stages than CVC. The others sets I mentioned start with even easier words based on single letter graphemes and sounding out CVC words so would in my opinion be better for a child who was just stating to learn this stage. The Usbourne books are great and I have used them in teaching, just not the simplest to start with.

Sarahfreck, I do understand what you say. I have looked at those books although on line and they look very attractive to a very young child. If they are as good as the Phonics collection but simpler than I do not see a problem in buying them. I was not aware of these books.
I think both of my children would be interested in the Usborne First Reading but not BRI www.piperbooks.co.uk/beginning_reading_1.htm
My children love colourful books. These look rather boring although I do not know what is inside.