15 Delightful Interactive Books for Toddlers

This cute little rhyming story offers sound advice about not touching extinct creatures. I liked the bumpiness of this book after all the soft, furry titles out there. I also liked that if a kid got peanut butter or jam on this one, I’m pretty sure I could just wipe it off and keep going. While I haven’t had to do that, I also suspect that the plastic parts of this book could be repurposed as kitchen scrubbers, so I am just throwing that out there as an added bonus. If you like this title, you can also try her others like Never Touch a Monster or a shark or a porcupine or even this one: Never Touch the Grumpy Pumpkins. Yup, even grouchy gourds are available.

A lot of these kind of touch-and-feel books are focused on animals, which makes sense. If you’re looking for a different approach, here is one that lets little readers touch a birthday cupcake, count balloons, and blow out candles. It might be the perfect choice for an audience that wants to feel and participate in the birthday celebration.

Little Hippo Books also has a broad range of touch-and-feel books for different reader tastes. I really like this because it includes something other than animals, but of course, they have a lot of titles, like Five Silly Sloths, for young readers to get to know. They also have a pretty one with a peacock, but it gives away its feathers, and somehow, the self-sacrifice part of the story was too much for me. Maybe I’m reading too much into that one, but I prefer trucks and, of course, sloths!

This book will let you scratch all the things! And also pet an adorable soft kitty at the end, so I recommend it highly for lots of little readers. In real life, I do not have any animals because, y’all, I cannot possibly take on any more life responsibilities at the moment (even though I wish I had a real cat). However, books aren’t the same as animals, so I suggest you adopt a copy of this one for your own household very soon.

I picked this up because of the beautiful illustrations. It has a great note to caregivers extolling the benefits of dance and encouraging them to dance along with their little “motion machines.” I can’t think of better life advice. It also has some suggested resources at the end to keep those little kids moving. If you can stand it, there are always Baby Shark songs galore. If you like the art in this book, you could also try Chasing God’s Glory by Dorina Lazo-Gilmore Young and illustrated by Alyssa De Asis. As the name implies, it is focused on a view of life that embraces a God. While I am not the target audience per se, I loved the author’s focus on the joys of life all around us and the vibrant illustrations.

Apparently, this is part of a series called Storytelling Math, but I picked this book about spatial reasoning told through searching for eggs because Grace Lin’s name is on it. That was enough for me. Lin is a Taiwanese American author who has won a slew of awards, including the Caldecott Medal and the Children’s Literature Legacy Award. If you’re not familiar with Lin’s other books, definitely read The Last Marshmallow and A Big Mooncake for Little Star.

I wish this book could guarantee sleep, but I hate to break it to you, it can’t. I will be honest: you may be the only reader rocked gently to sleep by this, but it’s worth a try. The author takes baby through the various steps before bed, and Monica Mikai’s accompanying illustrations are just lovely. At least you will enjoy it while you’re trying to get your little one off to dreamland.

This is a wordless book, so it might not be everyone’s jam, but you should try it out because the way the shapes fit together is pretty awesome. It might not even require that you help a little one read this — you can just turn the pages and ooh and aah along with them. If you like this, also try Wiggles: Interactive Board Book for a book that asks you to follow the lines and waves together with your fingers. It was pretty engaging for the small humans I tested it with.

I love all the books I’ve read by Britta Teckentrup. It would be very hard to pick a favorite, so I won’t even try, but small humans everywhere will enjoy this interactive toddler book that asks them to tip it from side to side as Ellie the elephant slides around her bath. Your little people might also really love The Tiptoe Tiger by Jane Clarke with Teckentrup’s lovely illustrations. And if you’re reading to bigger kids who can find matching pairs, you should really get some of her Where’s the Pair books. You will love them!

This is another adorable book where you have to move it around to help the main character get through their story. No surprise that involves snow and skiing. If you’re looking for other books about winter for kids, try 25 of the Best Winter Books for Kids.

My household loved this and also Borando’s The Hamster Book. Both tell you to name your pet and then give you cute little directions for what to do. Wake your kitty up, pet it, keep it from getting wet, and make it cough up a bird. Yup, pure cat nip in this household and sure to be a little people-crowdpleaser.

I don’t remember this book telling the reader to do anything in particular, but I do think it will easily lend itself to some playful counting of toes. It’s very sweet and seems like a natural choice to read to little people who may have just recently realized what toes are. So cute.

What is it with children and dragons? They seem to be a natural combination, and this interactive picture book will capture the hearts of your tiny humans. I love this story where you’re asked to help put out some accidental fires. Just be prepared that when you get to the last page, you’re likely to hear cries of “Again! Again!” which is, of course, the highest form of toddler praise.