Children’s books recalled due to potential choking hazard

(NEW YORK) — Children’s book publisher Make Believe Ideas has recalled approximately 260,000 children’s books due to a potential choking hazard.

Seven titles from Make Believe Ideas’ Rainbow Road Board Books series are impacted by the recall, according to a company press release. The recalled books include the titles “Animal Counting,” “Dinosaur’s First Words,” “Old MacDonald Had a Farm,” “Rainbow Road Book Box,” “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly,” “Things that Go!,” “Unicorn’s Colors” and “Where’s My Bottom?”

The Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a recall announcement Thursday that the plastic rings that bind the books can detach from the books and pose a choking hazard.

The books were sold both individually and in sets of four at school book fairs, online and at stores like Barnes & Noble, Sam’s Club and Target between March 2022 and August 2023. Individual books retailed for $10 and $11 while the four-book set was sold for about $21.

Those in possession of the recalled books are being advised to stop using them immediately. Customers can contact Make Believe Ideas Ltd. at www.recallrtr.com/rr and register for a refund in the form of a gift card. Make Believe Ideas said it would provide instructions on how to dispose of the recalled books after customers register for a refund.

According to the CPSC, Make Believe Ideas has received reports of two incidents where the books’ plastic rings came off in the U.S. and Australia, but no injuries have been reported.

ABC News has reached out to Make Believe Ideas for comment on the recall but has not yet received a response.

The company said on its recall website’s frequently asked questions page that “this situation is rare.”

“At MBI, your child’s safety is our highest concern,” the company wrote. “Our products are tested to exacting safety standards before being offered for sale.”