Click on a topic to find out more.
Tips for new users
To go to the Internet links for your book, type the keyword (or words) in the box at the top of the menu on this screen. The keyword is printed on the Internet links page in your book.
Alternatively, you can find your book - and other online resources - using the Quicklinks subject menu.
Internet links are displayed in red in Usborne Quicklinks. Click on a link to go to a recommended site. (If, when you go to Quicklinks, you can't see any links, click on "Technical Stuff" above left to find out how to change your web browser settings.)
Each link opens in a new window on your screen. To return to Usborne Quicklinks, click on the small "x" in the top right corner of the new window.
To switch backwards and forwards between Usborne Quicklinks and other windows, use the buttons on the taskbar at the bottom of your screen. (If you have lots of windows open, click on the button with the name of your browser to find the Quicklinks window.)
If a link doesn't work, try again in a few minutes - or even the next day. The website may have closed down or changed its web address - or it may just have a temporary problem.
Before using Usborne Quicklinks, please read our Internet safety guidelines. For more information on protecting your computer from viruses and other security issues, click on "Internet safety" in the Net Help menu.
Usborne downloadable pictures
You can download the pictures and puzzles provided in Usborne Quicklinks for free, for your own personal, non-commercial use. To do this, go to the Quicklinks for a book and click on a link for a downloadable picture.
Printing out pictures
You can print the pictures straight from your browser (click on "File" then "Print" in the browser's menu) but many of the pictures will appear too big. A better way is to save a picture to your computer and then insert it into a word processing document such as Microsoft Word, where the picture will appear the correct size.
Saving pictures to your computer
On a PC, right-click on the picture in Usborne Quicklinks and then choose "Save picture as" to save the picture to your computer. A "Save Picture" window will appear on your screen. In the "Save in" field, select the name of the folder where you want to save the picture, then click on the "Save" button. Mac users should click and hold on the image and then choose "Download Image to Disk" from the menu.
Inserting a picture in a word processing document
To do this in Word follow these steps:
1. Open a document and click where you want the picture to appear. If it is at the top of the page, press the Return key once to make a space.
2. Then click on "Insert", and select "Picture" and "From File". Look through your folders to find the name of the picture you saved to your computer and click on it, then click the "Insert" button.
3. After inserting a picture in a document, you can change the size by clicking on the picture to select it, then clicking and dragging one of the corners.
(N.B. Don't use "File" and "Open" to try and insert a picture in a document - the word processing program cannot open the file, it can only insert it!)
Usborne Picture Puzzles
You need a free program called Adobe Reader to download and print out the Usborne Picture Puzzles - and it needs to be version 5, or later. Go to Technical Stuff for a link to download Adobe Reader.
Listening to sounds
To listen to sounds on the Internet you need a free media program such as Windows Media Player, RealPlayer or Quicktime. Most PC computers already have Windows Media Player and Apple computers have Quicktime. If you do need help listening to sounds, go to Technical Stuff for more advice.