What Makes Usborne Books so Unique (borrowed from an amazing consultant!)

In 1973, Peter Usborne decided that educational, nonfiction books would need to change in order to compete with TV and comics. He borrowed some ideas from these two media and hired educational consultants to oversee the writing to make sure that the books would satisfy the child’s interest but also arouse it.

Explanatory 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 the students in, to make them want to learn the material and to help them retain that knowledge. The magic of Usborne Books is that they make both reading and learning fun and 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 organized that children absorb and recall much of the vast amount of information presented.

Usborne Books are fascinating, lavishly illustrated books written with humor, surprise and drama. They incorporate activities and puzzles to challenge a child’s observation and intelligence. Their superb printing quality and exceptionally well-produced graphics, high ratio of pictures to text, short magazine-like format and unique detail set Usborne Books apart from anything yet produced. There is a wide range of subjects covering hobbies, history, science, nature, foreign language, parent’s guides and more. Usborne Books truly appeal to all ages, infants to adults, with prices to suit everyone. The books are printed on acid free paper, so the pages will last forever if taken care of properly.

EDC is a publicly traded company on the NASDAQ stock market and was recognized in 2005, 2004, and 2003 by Fortune magazine as one of the 100 Fastest Growing Small Companies in America; and in 1997 by Forbes Magazine as one of the 200 Best Small Companies in America.

I am very proud of our company and the product line we represent, and also very pleased with the response from our customers. Our goal is to continue to provide the finest educational books for your children.

Randall White
President and CEO

Company Profile

Educational Development Corporation, a Delaware corporation, was founded in 1961 to develop curriculum materials for schools.  In 1978, EDC acquired the rights to publish children’s books from Usborne Publishing in England.  What began as a supplement to the corporation’s product line has grown to become the largest product line for the company.  During the 1980s, EDC eliminated the other product lines to concentrate exclusively on Usborne Books, and in 1989, the direct selling division was started.  In late 2008, EDC acquired Kane/Miller Publishing, an internationally known publisher of children’s books with over 20 years in the industry. 

The Company’s Publishing Division distributes the books to bookstores, museums shops, toy stores, specialty stores and other retail outlets throughout the United States.

The Home Business Division markets the entire product line through independent sales consultants utilizing a combination of direct sales, educational workshops, book fairs, and fundraisers.  The Home Business Division is also responsible for sales to schools and public libraries.

Educational Development Corporation is a publicly traded company listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the symbol EDUC.

EDC, Usborne Books, and Kane-Miller have received many prestigious awards recognizing their contribution to the world of literacy and dedication to the company's Mission Statement.  These accolades from educator and parent organizations around the world are evidence of our continued commitment to impact the lives of children.

EDC Mission

"The future of our world depends on the education of our children.
EDC delivers educational excellence one book at a time.
We provide economic opportunity while fostering
strong family values.  We touch the lives of
children for a lifetime."                                                    

Unique Features of Usborne Books

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD Children lay on the floor with Usborne books imagining they are inside the double page illustration.  Children “play” with the illustrations because they are so real and so large.  Usborne Books truly invite the child to take part in the wonderful adventure of learning.  The strongest readers will take the longest amount of time looking at the pictures.  Encourage them to look for details and tidbits. PAGES BURSTING WITH ACTIVITY Usborne Books are not only aesthetically pleasing, but also provide children with various activities to keep them interested and actively involved. Many Usborne series utilize questions at the end of each double page spread to check comprehension, initiate logic skills, and challenge a reader’s visual discrimination. Our comprehensive selection of puzzle, search, and early reading books incorporate these features.  Hands-on activities are also included in many series to facilitate the kinesthetic mode of learning, in addition to the visual and auditory modes of learning.  CUTAWAY ILLUSTRATIONS Cutaway illustrations found in Usborne Books show the inside view of those places children rarely have a chance to see, whether inside a castle, under the ground, into the earth’s core, or inside an animal cell.  Our books make understanding the unknown easy and help children investigate “what’s inside.” KNOWLEDGE IN BITE-SIZE PIECES WITH TEXT POSTIONED AROUND ILLUSTRATIONS The unique presentation of text in Usborne Books facilitates retention and recall of information.  The reader sees the concept visually with the picture and then with the text.  It helps the reader to make the necessary bridges to other information they already have and to file it away in the appropriate file.  The cognitive thinking system is like a file cabinet of information.  Making these bridges is actually one of the higher levels of cognitive (and critical) thinking called synthesis.  Most American text is watered down by using words with fewer syllables, which leads to boring and often ambiguous text.  Usborne’s approach makes books child-friendly by maintaining interest with meaty bits of information cut in pieces they can chew!  This approach works well with all reading levels.  The child can digest as much or as little as they desire on each page.  Curiousity is satisfied without feeling overwhelmed by a page of solid text. STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS Usborne offers a wide selection of “How To” books featuring step-by-step instructions for ages preschool to adult.  Colorful illustrations are included with the easy to follow steps whether a child is learning to cook, make origami or draw. Step-by-step instruction provides basic skill development and technique in addition to developing the ability to follow directions.  Step-by-step instruction leads to greater self-confidence and self-esteem when children see their finished work. DUAL READING LEVELS Many of our Farmyard Tales series books have dual reading levels with easy-to-read text on the top of the page for early readers and a more detailed paragraph on the bottom of the page.  In addition to functioning as wonderful read-aloud storybooks, the dual-level format makes these books perfect for shared reading between child and parent.  They provide a gentle introduction to reading for early readers, since the complete story is contained within the easy-to-read top text.  As reading skills and confidence increase, the more detailed paragraph on the bottom of the page adds to the story.  The dual-level books, with vivid illustrations and a hidden duck in every picture, span a wide range of ages from toddler to early elementary! INTERNET-LINKED BOOKS Our most extraordinary and popular feature is the internet-links found in over 200 Usborne titles. This new generation of books is linked through the Usborne website to exciting Usborne-recommended places on the internet – the world’s treasure-chest of knowledge.  An Usborne internet-linked book brings the power of the written word and the vast information of the internet together to enhance a reader’s learning experience.  Usborne-Quicklinks.com takes you to over 10,000 age–appropriate websites, all regularly reviewed by Usborne; to downloadable images; to Usborne’s virtual keyboard; to Usborne pronunciation guides; to homework help with quizzes, coloring pages, and more; to downloadable tunes to which you can play music.

The Kane/Miller Philosophy

For more than 25 years, Kane/Miller has been publishing award-winning children’s books from around the world.  We choose the books we publish with extraordinary care and attention.  We think about them, we discuss them, we argue about them.  We read them aloud, and then we read them to ourselves, to our families, and to each other.  In the end, we publish those books that speak to us – and those that we believe will speak to children.  Kane/Miller books have won both national and international awards, including the UNESCO Prize, the Australian CBC Book of the Year, The Philippines National Book Award, Child Magazine’s Book of the Year, and the Parent’s Choice Award.

We firmly believe in the importance of introducing children to books from other countries, cultures, and communities.  Books teach attitudes, they reinforce or break stereotypes, they make the world seem a bigger place or a smaller one, they humanize events, and they make children feel empathy, sympathy and wonder.  Books can personalize the world.  For example, in a story about a boy living in Africa, a child sees what his house looks like, sees what his family does.  Africa suddenly becomes a little more easily imagined, more personal.

We’re proud that our books bring the world closer to children but at the same time open their minds to the differences that are part of the world.  We believe there’s no more subtle and powerful way of teaching a child than by saying this book I am reading to you comes from a country called Korea.  A country important enough to write a story about and important enough for me to ready to you.  This is how they do things there.

Children need as much information about themselves and their world as we can provide.  Information about their bodies and how they work and about the rest of the world in which they live.  Our aim is to publish books that make kids say, “Wow, that’s just like me,” and also, “Wow, that’s different.”  Books that make kids say, “I want to go there someday,” or even just sometimes, “Wow, what a silly story.”  And for them to know that maybe someone in another part of the world is saying “wow” about the exact same book.