Our favorite children’s books: Interactive edition

Ten Thousand Hour Mama Baby and BooksNow that Peeper has added “book” to her repertoire of signs, she asks for one almost as much as she requests milk. And that’s a lot.

We spend a huge portion of play time reading. She has very strong opinions about which story she wants, using her pointing finger to indicate one on the floor—or trying to squirm out of my arms and leap to one on the end table.

Lately, she loves books that do something. If it has flaps, windows, cut-outs, silky fur—or even better, all of the above—she will probably love it.

That means we end up reading some of the same titles a million times in a row. (I’m looking at you, Dog.) I don’t mind, though. Watching her delight in a story gives me all the patience I need. And now that she concentrates hard enough to tug a pull tab and make a piece on the page move, story time is even better.

Here are our favorite interactive children’s books.

CatCat, by Matthew Van Fleet. We just gave this to Peeper for her first birthday. As it was created by the same folks behind the runaway hit Dog, I knew it’d be a blast. Proof: Peeper has already torn several pieces, meaning she’s really into it. It includes humor adults will appreciate, too: When a feline tips over a vase, it’s a catastrophe, naturally!

The Robot BookThe Robot Book, by Heather Brown. In this charming book, kids get to play with all the parts and pieces of a robot: They can twist a bolt and swing the robot’s arm, for example. I was impressed by how intricate it is: You turn a gear to rotate the robot’s mouth. I like to play with it as least as much as Peeper does.

 

 

Count 123Count 123. Peeper loves the simple knockout photos, which we practice naming. She also likes lifting the flaps and tracing the numbers, which are recessed into the page. She’s still too little to count, but this would be a terrific book for children learning their numbers. It was a sad day when we had to return this to the library.

 

 

Chomp ZooChomp Zoo, by Heather Brown. Ingeniously designed, the same pull tab makes the teeth of a half-dozen animals chomp up and down. Peeper loves moving the teeth and sticking her fingers in the mouths of the creatures. I also love how friendly the animals look. They seem to be barely containing their laughter.

 

 

Where's Spot?Where’s Spot? by Eric Hill. I remember the many adventures of Spot from when I was little, and I’d go straight for these books whenever we visited the library. I’m so glad Peeper likes the tan doggy, too! She grins every time I say, “Peekaboo!” when she lifts a flap to find not a hiding Spot but another creature. (A snake in the clock and a lion under the stairs—it’s quite the menagerie in this house.)

 

 

On My LeafOn My Leaf, by Sara Gillingham. This book combines cut-out windows and a finger puppet in a sweet story about a ladybug and her family. Peeper grabs the soft felt ladybug and sticks her hands through the windows as she turns the page. There’s an entire series like it that features an owl in a tree, a dolphin in the ocean, a monkey in the jungle and more.

 

 

What are your favorite books for curious little ones?

0 thoughts on “Our favorite children’s books: Interactive edition

  • July 23, 2014 at 9:08 am
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    Love children’s books, and have fond memories of discovering “Where the Wild Things Are” and everything Dr. Seuss and Richard Scarry.

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    • July 23, 2014 at 8:45 pm
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      Somehow we don’t have a copy of Where the Wild Things Are. We need to remedy that ASAP!

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  • July 23, 2014 at 9:48 am
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    Oh, I can’t wait until Margot starts really enjoying books, too. I mean, she enjoys chewing and pounding on them, but that’s not really the same.

    We have Where’s Spot and it’s such a cute book. I love the turtle under the rug.

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    • July 23, 2014 at 8:46 pm
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      The turtle is one of my favorites too! I’m a bit disturbed by the crocodile under the bed, though—that’s the stuff of nightmares.

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  • July 23, 2014 at 1:55 pm
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    All these books sound so fun… Have to keep this in mind for gift giving to little ones. We’ve come a long way from Pat the Bunny and scratch and sniff books that I remember. Teaching a love of books early is so important!

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  • July 23, 2014 at 2:30 pm
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    My kids are huge Berenstain Bear fans…we could read those over and over again every night and they would be happy. The cutest part is that they were all of my books when I was a child. 🙂

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    • July 23, 2014 at 8:47 pm
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      We have a few beloved favorites from our childhoods as well. It’s fun to continued a treasured memory.

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  • July 23, 2014 at 8:00 pm
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    I just love how adorable board books are! When my kids were younger, we loved The Little Red Barn, The Little Gorilla, Giraffes Can’t Dance, all of the Pigeon books…there are so many favorites! Just writing about them now brings back sweet memories 🙂

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    • July 23, 2014 at 8:47 pm
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      Ooh, we haven’t read most of these—thanks for the rec’s! We’ll look for them at the library.

      Reply

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