A Statement on "The Magic Gifts"

A statement on “The Magic Gifts” from Sam Taplin, Usborne Publishing Director.

I was very concerned to hear about complaints which have been raised about a book that we published in 2009 called “The Magic Gifts”. I understand why this book has caused offence, and I would like to personally apologise.

Our research at the time was not carried out correctly and thoroughly, and as a result this book included text and artwork that were inappropriate and culturally insensitive. This has caused hurt and offence to people, for which I am truly sorry.

As a global children’s publisher, we must ensure that our books are respectful of cultures all over the world, and this book clearly does not meet the standards we now hold ourselves to. The title in question was put out of print in 2021, but we have since realised that the story was mistakenly included in some other story collections. We are now putting these titles out of print too, and pulping all remaining copies in our warehouse. 

I believe that we have already adopted working practices which would prevent us creating a book like this today. However, I want to assure our readers that I am personally reviewing all our processes around research, sensitivity reads, and how we track stories through multiple editions, as are other senior staff members at Usborne.

I hope that my sincere apologies will go some way to restoring our readers’ faith in Usborne.

Sam Taplin 
Usborne Publishing Director 
September 30th 2026