Things We Loved

Usborne Sticker Books

By Kelly Patten, mom of Freya (4) and Daisy (1)

Expat life is full of awe-inducing experiences—holidays on tropical islands, colorful cultural festivals, and indulging in exotic new cuisines. However, there is one aspect of expat life that most parents dread—the summer flights home. Our extended family is scattered across two continents, which means this summer I’ll be taking my four-year-old and my one-year-old to Edinburgh and Philadelphia, plus a few days’ holiday in Dubai over the course of five weeks. Every time we fly, my anxiety builds, and I find myself googling travel hacks for international flights with toddlers. Alas, despite the many hacks I’ve found, I know I’ll ultimately just have to suck it up for however many hours, pack loads of snacks, and hope for the best!

That being said, I will of course need to prepare a variety of toys, books, or games that just might entertain them for 20 minutes of our journey. While my one-year-old will happily play with a plastic water bottle, my four-year-old has more refined tastes. Her current favorite quiet activity is working on Usborne sticker books, and we will definitely be packing a few for our summer travels! 

Usborne is an independent British publishing company, and I guarantee you’ve read some of their books. Their sticker books are excellent and come in an assortment of topics and age ranges. I like that the stickers are easy to peel—even my one-year-old can peel them like a champ—and that most books have perforated pages. Some of our current favorites include the Sticker Dolly Dressing series, which includes books like “Rainbow Fairies” and “Fashion Designer”. For slightly younger sticker fans, they have a My First Sticker Book series, with classic choices such as “On the Farm”, “At the Airport”, or “Under the Sea”. Have a look for the Build Your Own series which includes exciting titles such as “Monster Trucks” and “Superheroes”. You can find some of them at Asia Books, but have a search on Lazada and you will find some amazing prices! Will sticker books prevent the inevitable airport meltdowns? Probably not, but they will provide much needed quiet entertainment on our tour of the continents this summer!

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