Q.1 Why do you call your digital books Mimic Books?
Because we realise that a digital book will never be the real thing. But that doesn’t stop us from mimicking the real book in order to get tech savvy children in the 21st century hooked onto fun reading. Mimic Books use the original artwork and text from the real books and replicates the page turning effect of a real book.

Q.2 Why do I need Mimic Books?
Because it inspires children turned off to reading to turn on.
Big books have been used in shared reading for years. They are costly, cumbersome, can only have one teacher using them at a time; become tatty very quickly and are limited in the number of titles that ever make it as big books. Mimic books do not have any of these disadvantages.

We believe that if a child can't learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn. Children who need to be inspired to read through the use of ICT will be inspired to do so by mimic books.

Mimic Books can be viewed on your whiteboard, which makes them bigger and more visible than a traditional big book, perfect for shared reading in the 21st century classroom! You can also adjust the colour of the text to make it more accessible for children with visual impairments. There is no need to search anywhere else for big books online!

Q.3 What's the chameleon got to do with Mimic Books?
People know the chameleon as a creature that changes colour according to its environment, Scientists know the chameleon as a creature that changes colour according to its temperature and mood. Either way, the chameleon signifies the way in which Mimic Books, changes children’s books for the 21st Century classroom.

Q.4 I’ve already got plenty of big books in my school, why would I want a mimic book?
Mimic books will never replace a real book but think about how expensive big books are, how cumbersome they are to hold, how difficult it can be to find the one you want because another teacher has just pipped you to the post. This is where Mimic Books comes and takes over. It helps solve these problems and offers variety to your current shared reading provision in school.

Mimic Books can be viewed on your whiteboard, which makes them bigger and more visible than a traditional big book, perfect for shared reading in the 21st century classroom! You can also adjust the colour of the text to make it more accessible for children with visual impairments. There is no need to search anywhere else for big books online! Many of our Mimic Books are not available as traditional big books so no matter how many big books you may have, we offer new titles. Just take a look at the different Mimic Books you get in the Literacy Package and you’ll see that we have a fabulous range of award winning books by award winning writers and illustrators. Mimic Books aims to bridge the gap between children’s traditional and digital reading.

Q.5 What makes you different to other digital texts and CD ROMS?
Existing digital books unfortunately do not look like real books, they often have poor art work, if at all and the language is basic. Teachers are used to choosing the very best in books and we believe that books on whiteboards should meet up to the same standards readers expect from children’s books.

CD ROMs can also be expensive, often need a multiuse license at an extra cost, don’t always get installed in schools and can get damaged.

With Mimic Books, you choose the package that you want and when you want it. You can buy 12 months subscription for as many packages as you like. Mimic Books are more economical than buying CD ROMs or big books. Take a look at our prices page for the latest prices and offers.

Q.6 Why should I pay for Mimic Books when there are other free resources available online?
As the old adage goes, 'you get what you pay for!'. If you get something for free, there's normally a reason why it's free… We ensure that we have the best books for your primary classroom and ones which are ideal for shared reading. We have award winning books from the best publishers in the world. You won't find them anywhere else on the Internet.

Quite simply, there is nobody else out there doing what we are. We ensure that a Mimic Book retains the appearance of its original printed book. If illustrations are painted in watercolour, then you too will be able to see the brush strokes in our actual Mimic Book. How many free electronic books online are there where you can see the brush strokes of the illustrations? Our aim is to bridge the divide between children’s digital and traditional reading.

Q.7 Are you independent?
Completely! Our independence from publishers means we are free to make wiser choices about which books to offer as mimic books. We only choose books that are appropriate for using in the classroom.

Q.8 Who do I contact if I need you to resolve something?
Us of course! Have a look through these FAQs first as you may find the answer your question here. If not, then please use the contact us form or call/email using the details at the foot of this page. We aim to respond to your enquiry within 24 hours.

Q.9 Will you be adding more books?
We will be offering books as subject based packages in the following:

• Mathematics
• Science
• Religious Education
• Geography
• History
• Art & Design
• Design & Technology
• Philosophy for Children (P4C)
• PSHE
• ICT
• Citizenship

If you’d like to know when the new subject packages are available then sign up to our newsletter.

Q.10 Do I need to have an interactive whiteboard to view a mimic book?
You don’t need an interactive whiteboard to view a mimic book. You can use a standard projector connected to a PC or laptop which is also connected to the Internet.

Q.11 Can more than one person use a mimic book?
So long as each user is an employee of the subscribing educational institution.

Q.12 Can I access Mimic Books from anywhere?
You can access mimic books from anywhere in your school as long as you are connected to the Internet and have subscribed to a package.

Q.13 How much is a Mimic Books subscription?
To find out the latest prices and offers, go to our prices page.

Savings are on offer to schools participating in buying groups, local authorities and Regional Broadband Consortia (RBCs). Please contact us to discuss your requirements.

Q.14 What do I get for my money?
Packages vary in content; for example, our Literacy Package gives you access to over 40 books for your whiteboard and shared reading lessons.

Don’t forget, that your annual subscription allows all the educators in your school to access all the books in the package.

We will shortly be releasing our subject specific packages for those of you interested in buying Mimic Books for your curriculum subjects.

To find out the latest prices and offers, go to our prices page.

Q.15 Which books do you have?
Take a look at the book catalogue to see the fantastic selection of award winning books, perfect for shared reading lessons. We have classic books such as, ‘Alice in Wonderland’ published by Ladybird Books; award winning books such as, ‘Herb the Vegetarian Dragon’ published by Barefoot Books; international bestsellers such as, ‘Amazing Grace’ published by Frances Lincoln; and many more books from award winning writers and illustrators including ‘The Tear Thief’ published by Barefoot Books and written by Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy.

Q.16 How do I pay for my subscription?
You can pay using two methods: by posting a cheque payable to Mimic Books Limited with your reference number on the reverse. Post your cheque to Mimic Books Limited, PO Box 657, HX1 9HX;
or
by paying online through PayPal using your credit/debit card details.

Q.17 Which budget can I use to pay for the Literacy Package?
Your Mimic Books package can be bought by using budgets in the following subjects:

• Literacy
• ICT
• SEALS
• PSHE
• Collective Worship

Q.18 I have placed my order. What will happen next?
If you subscribed and paid online, you will have immediate access to the Literacy Package.

If you are paying by cheque, you will have access to the Literacy package as soon as we receive your cheque.

Should you wish to extend your subscription, all you have to do is renew.

Q.19 I can’t view a mimic book?
This may be an obvious question and we hate to answer a question with a question, but have you subscribed? If you have subscribed, then have you logged in? If you have not logged in, then you won’t be able to view the Mimic Book.

If you have forgotten your login details then please go to our home page and you will be able to request your details to be sent to your email account.

Check your subscription is still valid and your internet connection is working.

Do you have Adobe Flash Player installed on your PC/laptop? If not, you can download it direct from Adobe - http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer

If you are still having a problem, get in touch with us by going to the contact us page.

Q.20 It takes a long time to view my mimic book?
Close the Mimic Book and then launch the Mimic Book again, if this doesn't resolve the problem check your internet connection.

We do not offer a fully downloadable function just yet but it is on the way. It is a good idea to click onto your chosen mimic book ten minutes before you need it. That way you can ensure that the mimic book has ‘downloaded’ and is ready for you to view.

Q.21 What is the minimum specification for viewing a Mimic Book?
Any browser with Adobe© Flash Player 8 or a later version needs to be installed. If you do not have Flash installed on your PC/laptop, you can download it direct from Adobe - http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer

The minimum screen resolution required is 1024x768 pixels.

Q.22 I have forgotten my username or password?
Contact your local administrator (the person who bought the subscription) who will be able to tell you your username or password.

Q.23 I am the local administrator and I have forgotten my username or password?
Don’t worry! All you have to do is go to the home page or sign up page and use the username and password reminder facility. We will email you the username and password to the email address associated with your subscription.

Q.24 Can I buy one Mimic Book only?
Mimic Books can only be purchased in packages. This helps to keep it simple for everyone. One fee = maximum number of books.

Q.25 My subscription is drawing to an end, what shall I do to renew?
We’ll post an invoice 8 weeks prior to your subscription end date. All you have to do is pay no later than the end of your subscription end date and you can continue to use the Mimic Books service.

Q.26 How long do I have to wait for a response after I contact you?
During office hours we aim to check all electronic communications every 4 hours and we will respond to you within 24 hours.

If you write to us, we aim to post a response within 48 hours of receipt of the letter.

If you call us during our office hours we aim to answer your call within 5 rings. Where we cannot answer your call, you will be given the opportunity to leave a message stating a convenient time to call you back so we can get back to you.

Q.27 I can’t find my answer here?
If your question remains unanswered then please get in touch directly. You can contact us via the contact us page or by using the email and telephone details at the foot of this page.