Laura Cowan

Visit the bustling city streets, venture through a rowdy market and gaze in awe at how people travelled in steam trains and war chariots years ago. An eye-opening book for children of a technology-reliant generation, likely to inspire further research on times gone by. A great book to help children understand and appreciate the significance of explorations and discoveries of years ago, and perhaps bring out the inventor within. Carefully selected websites, accessed via Usborne Quicklinks, allow readers to discover more facts about the history of our world.

Stylishly illustrated dinosaurs described in a fun and accessible narrative tone, perfect for reading with young children Scientifically accurate and checked by an expert Usborne Quicklinks provide links to a pronunciation guide to dinosaur names and carefully chosen websites where readers can find further information about dinosaurs.

At night when you are fast asleep, another world awakens... Explore the world of night in this gorgeous picture book and discover nocturnal animals in the countryside, cities that never sleep and the secrets of the night sky. With lots to look at and talk about on every page and links to specially selected websites with more to discover.

"From the classic fairy tale. Cinderella's stepmother and stepsisters won't let her go to the Prince's ball. Her fairy godmother appears and transforms her rags into a magnificent balldress. The Prince falls in love with the stranger, but she disappears at midnight, leaving one glass slipper behind. The Usborne English Readers series is a new range of graded readers in simplified English for younger learners. They include activities, glossaries and a full audio recording of the text in both British English and American English."

From hovering hummingbirds and dancing pink flamingos, to diving penguins and owls spreading their wings before your very eyes, birds fly off the page in this gorgeous pop-up book. Lyrically written and informative, this book is a delight to read aloud, introducing a lovely selection of birds in a wonderful, memorable way.

Celebrate the beauty of butterflies as they flit and flutter off the pages of this book. Incredible pop-ups show butterflies actually moving their wings, emerging from a chrysalis and migrating in clouds right off the page. Learn how butterflies' wings can help them hide or dazzle predators, witness the magical metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly, and even meet the biggest butterfly in the world at actual size!

You'll never guess how many stars there are in the universe, who the first astronauts were, or why sunsets are blue on Mars! Discover the answers to these and all sorts of weird and wonderful facts about what lies beyond Planet Earth, as you take this exciting journey into outer space.

Have you ever wondered what it feels like to be in an earthquake, or close to a volcano when it erupts? With lots of flaps to lift, this book takes you on a tour of shaking cities and rumbling volcanoes to discover why these forces happen, how they shape our planet, and how people live in places where they strike.