Literacy & ABCsAll Ages23 Comments
Interactive books are great for really getting the kids involved in what they’re reading! Erica, from What Do We Do All Day? shares her best interactive books for kids!
As a hands-on parent, my favorite kids’ activity is reading! The best books are ones that inspire a child’s imagination in innovative, surprising ways.
12 Best Interactive Books for Kids to Read
If you’ve ever found yourself telling your child to “be gentle” with a book, this list is for you.
The books I’ve chosen are interactive books that require kids to lift, peek, press, fold, search, chatter and most of all, smile.
Above all, they are “hands-on books for hands-on kids!”
The following list of books contains affiliate links.
Press Here by Herve Tullet (Ages 1-3+)
Hands down (no pun intended!) this is my favorite one of my interactive books for kids. The best way to describe it is to call it an “analog app.”
Each page asks the child to perform a task, such as pressing a colored dot or blowing on the page. When the page is turned, the landscape has magically changed.
Press Here is my go-to book when purchasing a gift for any child aged 1-3.
Out of Sight by Francesco Pittau (Ages 1+)
Out of Sight is a marvelous over-sized book with vibrant, eye-catching lift-the-flaps. Kids will love guessing which animal is hiding under flaps of animal hides, silhouettes or paw prints.
This is a book that will age with a child. When he is little he will love interacting with it, as he gets older he can learn from the facts.
Scanimation Books by Rufus Butler Seder (Age 3+)
Scanimation Picture Books use a new patented technology and come in a range of topics: animals, sports, and even a Star Wars version.
As you turn the pages, the images actually move. These are some of the greatest interactive books for kids!
These books remind me of old-school technology like zoetropes. It’s like a mini-movie in a book!
Begin Smart Books (Ages 1-2)
Begin Smart is one of my favorite series of board books for babies. This book doubles as a mask.
As parents (or kids!) turn the pages, they hold the book up to their faces for a fun game that is a combination of peek-a-boo and “guess who I am?”
From the Begin Smart series, I also recommend Push the Button.
A Kiss for You by Joan Holub (Ages 2-4)
A Kiss For You! is an adorable book and one of my favorites. Attached to the book is a single lift-the-flap hand.
Kids can use the hand on each page to perform tasks, like patting a puppy, giving a high five, or blowing a kiss. The hand is magnetized so it works perfectly.
Farm Animals & City Animals by Simms Taback (Ages 2-5)
Award-winning author-illustrator Simms Taback made several board books for young children about animals. Kids try to guess the animal which will appear as they open a four part over-sized foldout page.
As the parent of Big City kids, I especially appreciate the opportunity to read books which reflect their world. Many kids will find some of the City Animal choices a bit surprising!
And my kids love discovering more about Farm Animals. As city kids, they’re not always as exposed to country life.
Alphabet by Matthew Van Fleet (Ages 2-6)
Matthew Van Fleet has created numerous interactive picture books and Alphabet invites kids to interact with it in every possible way.
Kids can lift flaps, pull tabs, feel textures, even scratch and sniff, all while practicing their alphabet skills.
Can You Make a Scary Face? By Jan Thomas (Ages 3-8)
Can You Make a Scary Face? is a wonderful book and perfect for story times.
A ladybug asks the reader to perform various silly tasks like pretending to swallow a bug, wiggling her nose, standing up, and (you guessed it) making a scary face.
By the end, your little one will be bubbling over with laughter. It’s what makes it one of my top interactive books for kids!
The Yellow Balloon by Charlotte Dematons (Ages 2-8)
Seek and find books encourage kids and develop pre-literacy skills.
In The Yellow Balloon, kids will take a closer look at the beautiful, detailed illustrations while they try to spot a yellow balloon as it makes its way through a variety of time periods and landscapes.
One Red Dot by David A. Carter (Ages 4-8)
One Red Dot is definitely better for children who have learned not to grab and tear books, but I can’t resist including it. Each intricately engineered fold-out, pop-up page contains one red dot.
Many of the pages invite interaction through pull tabs. It’s not always easy to find that one red dot, but kids will have a lot of fun trying.
I hope this list has encouraged you to look out for some new books for your kids to explore. Once you start reading interactive books with your kids you will find them asking “again! again!”
What are your favorite interactive books to read with your kids? Share your top picks with our community!
Happy Reading! Erica (aka “Mom and Kiddo”) is a SAHM to two very rowdy boys who love to read. She blogs at What Do We Do All Day? where she shares a new book list every Monday, easy indoor activities that her kids have tested out in their tiny apartment and fun learning ideas for kids. You can connect with her on Facebook, Pinterest, or Google+.
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John L. Miller says
This article is really very interesting and effective.
Anhui Raybaca says
I will buy these books for my children. Thanks!
Sawyer Holden says
Good Luck with the upcoming update. This article is really very interesting and effective.
Mixbook coupon says
My grandson and I loved talking about all the books you mentioned, that we had read about 3 years ago. Good memories!
Musala says
My daughter is 4 years old and is kind of addicted to interactive books! She loves them and wants them every day! Her absolute favourite is a new german interactive book called “Musala” – It’s about a little lion who needs help in a lot of different adventures. I hope it will be translated into english soon, because I have to do it by myself every night :D
carol klein says
Loved reading going on a lion hunt. we would pretend to do what the kids did to go for our pretend walk. and boy did we run fast to get away from the lion…carol
Van says
This is a great list. I hope to purchase one of these books. Our favorite interactive book is the Sun-Maid Raisin book. It is a hard bound book where my toddler can put raisins on a dalmatian, a ladybug, a gingerbread man, and on several open hands. It teaches him about imitation and counting. He gets to eat the raisins afterwards, too!
tessa tanda says
If you like interactive books please also take a look at my three picture books in the Help to Save-Series; Help to Save Sports Day, Help to Save the Zoo Trip, and Help to Save Career Day. or Amazon (Tessa Tanda)
The reader is asked to help the kids (or animals) in the books. The books are full of fun questions and games.
The little ones can look for ‘Tanda’ and the older ones can solve anagrams or puzzles. Enjoy!
(double click on the pictures for the text to pop-up)
Tommy Wang @mumtip.com says
Our favorite books are The Cheerios Play Book (it is good to entertain babies before dinner) ,Bizzy Bear Fun on the Farm ( fun flaps, levers, and tabs).
Thank for sharing your collection.
Astra says
If you have kids who are aged 5 and over and are already reading, you might be interested in my upcoming interactive ebook about a singing cat detective and her band the Skat Kats who solve crimes against endangered species. This ebook includes great music and interactive elements that allow children to delve more deeply into the subject matter of the story (animals, places, musical instruments and music styles). Check out my campaign to crowdfund its production https://pozible.com/project/catarotti-the-skat-kats
Danny McAleese says
My favorite interactive books were the Choose Your Own Adventure series! Got me into reading back when I was a kid.
There’s a new series like that called Ultimate Ending: http://www.ultimateendingbooks.com
They feature bigger characters, more detailed stories, and one really incredible (ULTIMATE!) ending per book!
Skylar says
My younger siblings (ages3and6) Love these busy books!
RaisingCreativeChildren says
Love these, thanks for compiling! We also enjoy making books interactive by having children create sound and music that correspond with the imagery and narrative.
Shelley says
my preschoolers LOVE the book Count the Monkeys by Mac Barnett. Super interactive! As well as From Head to Toe by Eric Carle
https://themeforest.wpengine.com says
I delight in, cause I discovered exactly what I was taking a look for.
You’ve ended my 4 day lengthy hunt! God Bless you man. Have a nice day. Bye
Renee C. says
Great list Erica! I was trying to think back over which interactive books my kids liked and what comes to mind are the Fisher Price farm books. One of them was a flap-book for counting, colours, opposites, shapes, and more. My kids LOVED that book. The other was one that you pushed buttons that made animal noises. They had so much fun with both these books.
Amy K. says
We stumbled on Press Here at the library when it was brand new, and I bought it for every kid I knew over the following year!
Malia {Playdough to Plato} says
Great roundup! “Dot” is one of my favorites and I’m excited to check out “A Kiss for You”. Pinned and tweeted. :)
Erik says
I’m excited to go track some of these down (especially the scary face one, that sounds fun)!!!
Good idea for a list.
JDaniel4's Mom says
We love books that move. This is a wonderful collection.