Perfect Interactive Books
for Antsy Readers
by Janssen Bradshaw
My sweet baby just turned one a few weeks ago — and she is always on the move. She wants to be walking or climbing whenever possible, and it’s becoming more challenging to get her to sit still for storytime.
In order to make things a little more fun and to keep her interested in reading while her physical development is in hyper-drive, I’ve turned to interactive books.
By offering something she can touch, a surprise pop-up, or an intriguing sound, these eight books hold her attention and keep her coming back for more. Try them and see whether they grab — and keep! — the attention of your little runner, too.
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Noisy Pets Peekaboo!
The first time I read these Noisy Peekaboo books to my daughter, she was so surprised and delighted by the sounds on each page that, as soon as it was over, she looked up at me and started nodding enthusiastically — her way of asking me to read it again. It’s also a big lap-sized board book, so it’s easy to see all the fun details on each page. Another book in the series, The Noisy Playhouse Peekaboo, is equally charming.
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The Game of Finger Worms
Draw a tiny face on your finger, and voilà — you’ve got an instant live worm to lead you and your child through the cut-outs of this fun little book! And because it’s more of a game than a standard book, it’s perfect for traveling and other times when you’ll need to keep your little one fully entertained.
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Peek-A Who?
I love the whole Peek-A series by Nina Laden. The rhymes are catchy and clever, and it’s fun to guess which animal will appear on the next page. The highlight here is the mirror at the end: My girls, big and small, can’t get enough of seeing themselves appear when I turn the final page.
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Bright Baby Touch & Feel Perfect Pets
Varied textures will delight young readers and give them a chance to practice their motor skills as they pet, pat, and tickle the various animals in this book. My eldest daughter loved it so much, she actually wore the scratchy tongue of the kitten off by licking it herself! (I’m pretty sure this doesn’t qualify as a “recommended use.”)
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Dear Zoo
In this classic, a little child writes to the zoo asking to be sent the perfect pet. One after another, the options aren’t quite right — but the fun is in opening each package and cage to see what the zoo comes up with until the keepers finally send the ideal animal. The flaps on this book are really sturdy, too, so they’ll hold up to hundreds of readings.
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Swing! A Scanimation Picture Book
Have you read these Scanimation books? I first saw them about five years ago when my local library purchased the whole set. Thanks to a patented animation process, as the reader moves the page, it looks like the image is actually in motion. My daughter and I were both entranced, and your young readers are sure to be as well!
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Can You Make a Scary Face?
For parents with kids who always want to be moving their bodies, this book is an answer to prayers. The book asks you to jump up and down, make faces, perform a dance, and basically just enjoy a storytime even the most restless readers will love.
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LMNO Peas
This is a longtime favorite in our house. The topic — the alphabet — is perfect for a small child, but each page is so packed with fun details (including a tiny red ladybug hidden on each spread!) that even adults will want to take a careful look through this delightful book.
