There has been a trend in the last several years of picture books with strong interactive elements.  The stories encourage kids to touch things on the page, do movements, and say things that help the story along.  These type of books tend to be a big hit with my kids.  Today I’m sharing some of their favorites.

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Our most read interactive picture books  are definitely Press Here and Mix it Up by Herve Tullet.  These are two of our most regularly read books of all time!  In the couple years we’ve owned them my kids have never grown tired of them.  The author has several other interactive picture books as well.

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Shake to Assemble by Calliope Glass is a really fun book because the kids have to do different actions or touch different places on the page to help get all the Avengers together and ready to go.  This one is definitely worth checking out if you have a superhero fan!

Tap the Magic Tree , Touch the Brightest Star, and Plant the Tiny Seed by Christie Matheson are popular interactive books.  Kids touch the pages to make the tree go through various stages, show the changes of night, or help seeds to grow.  It’s interactive and educational at the same time!

In This Book is Magic by Ashley Evanson the kids get to be part of the magic show by saying magical words and waving their finger.  It’s full of bright, colorful pictures.

Do Not Lick This Book by Idan Ben-Barak is a whole lot of fun while also sneaking in some education!  Kids can take Min the Microbe on a journey through new places as they touch and interact with the story and laugh at silly things Min encounters.  All along the way they are also learning about cleanliness, spreading germs, and how a microscope works.

Little Penguin Gets the Hiccups by Tadgh Bentley doesn’t have kids touching the pages, but it’s vocally interactive as kids are helping the penguin to get rid of his hiccups.  There is a surprise in the book that we didn’t see coming and the kids’ reactions were pretty funny.  The sequel  Little Penguin and the Lollipop was also funny and there will be a third book coming Fall 2018.

My two year old daughter wanted to read Don’t Wake Up the Tiger by Britta Teckentrup over and over again.  Kids reading the book are supposed to help all the animals sneak past the tiger without waking her up by doing various tasks.

 Escargot by Dashka Slater is about a French snail who wants to be your favorite animal and to eat a delicious salad.  There are a lot of interactive elements throughout the story as the kids get to respond to the snail.  It’s an especially fun read aloud if you try to read it with a French accent (which I would probably never attempt in front of adults, but with kids I’m a little more daring haha).

Crunch the Shy Dinosaur by Cirocco Dunlap

The readers have to gently coax the shy dinosaur out so they can interact with him.  It’s a fun, playful story while also subtly teaching some social skills and tips for making friends.

There’s a Dragon in Your Book by Tom Fletcher

A dragon egg is about to hatch and you’re not supposed to turn the page.  After you do, there are lots of tasks to help contain the dragon and put out the fire.  My daughter loves this one!

In Count the Monkeys by  Mac Barnett the author is trying to count the monkeys but they keep being scared off by other things.  Kids have to do or say different things each page while also practicing some counting.

Cook in a Book series: Pancake!, Tacos!, Pizza!, Cookies!

These creative books are very hands-on with kids picking up and sliding things around the pages as they go through the steps of preparing food.  Tons of fun while also learning a bit about cooking!

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