Interactive books are always a hit in our house. Having some elements to a book which allow the children to really get involved in a book really keeps their attention, especially for my younger children. These ten books offer lots of hands on and interactive fun and will be read and enjoyed again and again.
Spot a Lot Vehicle Adventure (US / UK) & Spot a Lot Animal Escape (US / UK)
These books offer lots of opportunities for looking carefully and spotting things, as you might guess from the titles. They are great counting books that require children to look hard at each page, and have many fun details in each scene for children to pick out and talk about. Both books are written in rhyme and tell a story alongside the counting and spotting fun.
Growl with the Animals (US / UK)
This book takes you through the basics on 10 different animals, along with their sounds. It includes real photographs of the animals, along with bright colours and the sound panel on the side makes realistic and distinctive sounds for each animal. Sound books are always a hit in our house and this is a great non-fiction one.
Play Jokes with Cheeky Monkey (US / UK)
This book includes a large monkey hand puppet which my kids find really funny to play with. Throughout the story the cheeky monkey plays jokes on all the other animals in the jungle. We have other puppet books, but this one was always my children’s favourite.
Each page in this book shows a variety of people or items from vehicles, to homes, to clothes and beds and asks the reader “If you could drive / live in (etc) one of these, which one would you choose?”
This book does not tell a story but involves children in each page allowing them to use the pictures as a prompt to create and tell their own stories. I love this book for offering children an opportunity to talk and use their imagination.
All of my children really enjoy this book and will study each page carefully before making their choice, although they change their minds every time.
Doodle and Draw, Spots, Stripes and Squiggles (US / UK)
This interactive book is filled with activities for children to complete. They can draw directly into the book, or use the ideas as inspiration for other drawing activities. For younger children, this is a really good introduction into drawing and activity books since the ideas are all easy and accessible.
For kids who love trains, this book is always a hit since it includes a little wind up train to play with alongside the stories. The are 3 maps inside the book with different tracks taking you all around the farm
This is a board book, so suitable for even the youngest children. It has really chunky pull out sections on each page, and takes you through all the different ways of sharing and playing together with other children nicely. Even though it looks younger because of the board book format, it’s a good reminder for preschool children who are still practising with these concepts every day.
This classic pirate book is written in rhyming song, which my children love to join in with and often sing it at other times too like while playing pirate games.
The Jungle Crew (US / UK)
This book comes complete with press out animals that you can fold and stick to create your own jungle crew to go along with the story.
You might also like these book lists:
- 135 Book Recommendations for Toddlers
- 50 Books Every Child Should Read by Age 16
- “Record Breaker” Books for ages 4-7
For even more children’s book suggestions, follow our Pinterest board:
Follow Anna – In The Playroom’s board Children’s Books on Pinterest.
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.
These are great suggestions! I’m working to build my kid’s summer reading libraries!
brilliant choices, we love interacttive books here too. we had one of the other ones like jungle crew, the girls loved making the animals out of the paper. thanks for sharing with #readwithme x
Fab ideas, I always need suggestions for birthdays etc.
Thanks for linking to Parenting Pin It Party x
They look a great collection of interactive books, I love the idea of ‘I Can Share’!
Great list of books. I love reading books for my girls and I love finding new books that will help them learn things too.