Brilliant boredom-busting books from Usborne by various authors - book reviews -

As the country gets the go-ahead to travel again, keep your youngsters busy and out of mischief with these super activity and puzzle books from top children’s books publisher Usborne.
Never Get Bored on a Train Puzzles & GamesNever Get Bored on a Train Puzzles & Games
Never Get Bored on a Train Puzzles & Games

Age 6 plus:

Never Get Bored on a Train Puzzles & Games

James Maclaine, Lan Cook and Tom Mumbray

There’s fun all the way down the line with this boredom-busting book of train-themed puzzles and games!

Don’t leave the station without this entertaining collection of write-in brain challenges, the perfect (and essential) companion for every train journey.

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This colourful, eye-catching book is easy to dip in and out of on short trips and there are plenty of puzzles to distract and entertain youngsters on longer journeys.

Simply bursting with mind-bending puzzles, fun activities and exciting games you can play on your own or in a group, Never Get Bored on a Train Puzzles & Games should be on every parent’s packing list!

(Usborne paperback, £6.99)

Age 6 plus:

Travel Wordsearches

Phillip Clarke and The Boy Fitz Hammond

If you’re looking for a handy travel book to keep the youngsters out of mischief this year, Usborne have the answer!

Travel Wordsearches is packed with fun puzzles featuring travel, people and places, and everything from capital cities and famous landmarks to modes of transport.

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Explore amazing destinations from the Eiffel Tower to the Pyramids with this collection of fun wordsearches.

The searches will take you from packing your suitcase and finding your flight to a whistle-stop world tour. Can you find the Acropolis in Greece, see the Northern Lights in Norway, or discover the mountain-top ruins of Machu Picchu in South America?

Rise to the challenge… and find fun along the way!

(Usborne, paperback, £5.99)

Age 3 plus:

Little Children’s Under the Sea Activity Book

Rebecca Gilpin

Keep little hands out of mischief with an activity book full of underwater discoveries!

With lots of fun puzzles to keep children entertained for hours, including spot the difference, colouring activities, and doodling and drawing challenges, youngsters just need to grab a pen and dive into the ocean.

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Draw sharks, colour in the tropical fish, match up the different kinds of turtle, enjoy a rock pool maze, spot the sea creatures living around a shipwreck, and help sea otters to find a way through a seaweed forest.

With counting, spotting and drawing fun to enjoy on every page, this is the perfect activity book for home, holidays and any wet day.

(Usborne, paperback, £6.99)

Age 3 plus:

Book and 3 Jigsaws: On the Farm

Sam Taplin and Federica Iossa

What’s going on down at the farm?

All kinds of animals are having fun on the farm in this delightful new book and jigsaw set from Usborne, 2020’s Children’s Publisher of the Year.

This entertaining and beautifully produced box set contains three simple nine-piece jigsaws – ideal for little hands and as an introduction to puzzles – and a beautifully illustrated board book about life on a farm.

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Pre-schoolers will love spotting farmyard animals in the book, and then completing the jigsaws to recreate three of the colourful, farm-themed illustrations.

Double delights in one box…

(Usborne, box set, £7.99)

Age one plus:

Poppy and Sam and the Kitten: Finger Puppet Book

Sam Taplin and Simon Taylor-Kielty

Join Poppy and Sam as they follow their new kitten around Apple Tree Farm!

Poppy and Sam of Apple Tree Farm are back for a spring adventure which will take little ones on an exciting kitten hunt.

The Poppy and Sam books, written by the late Stephen Cartwright, have been a family favourite for over 30 years and children’s publisher Usborne is giving these evergreen stories a bright and colourful makeover.

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In this adorable finger puppet book, we join Poppy and Sam as they follow their new kitten around Apple Tree Farm. Toddlers will love pushing their finger through the hole to bring the kitten to life as it meets the different farm animals before curling up in its basket at the end.

Poppy and Sam and the Kitten is full of that special child-appeal which has made the Poppy and Sam stories so popular, and there is still the added fun of finding the hidden Little Yellow Duck on every page.

This gorgeous heart-winning book includes the original artwork of Stephen Cartwright as well as the gorgeous illustrations of Simon Taylor-Kielty, perfectly created to honour Stephen’s legacy.

Fun, laughter and learning in one beautiful book!

(Usborne, board book, £7.99)

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