Interactive Board Books for Toddlers

My toddler loves new books almost as much as I do and there’s nothing I enjoy more than handing her a new interactive board book and having her keep herself occupied for 20 minutes while she explores it. New books can often hold her attention longer than a toy can. We have lots of fun reading these books together and because they’re all board books, they can stand up to rough toddler handling when she wants to look through them all on her own. Here are some of our favorites that will are proven to survive toddler shenanigans and short attention spans.

Seasons  By Philip Giordano

This large format board book features beautiful illustrations and fun spinning wheels for finding various items in numerous colors on each page. Each page is dedicated to a season and features a busy illustration for kids to search for the items/colors they match up on the wheels. This book is highly interactive for older toddlers who will love searching for the items, learning new vocabulary, and practicing their colors.

Tap the Magic Tree  By Christie Matheson

Kids tap, press, and rub to magically help an apple tree change through the seasons going from bare branches to leaves sprouting and blossoms blooming, to apples growing and then starting again. Really fun, highly interactive, and great for teaching kids about trees and the seasons. Also by the same author and with the same interactive aspect is Plant the Tiny Seed, available in hardcover.

Stir Crack Whisk Bake  By America’s Test Kitchen Kids and Maddie Frost

I do a fair amount of baking with my toddler so this fun book is especially fun for us. Kids get to help make cupcakes by “mixing” in the bowl, pouring the batter, counting down the oven timer, and blowing kisses to make sprinkles appear. My daughter asks for this one again and again. 

Good Morning/Buenos Días  By Maritxell Martí, Illustrated by Xavier Salomó

We have a large collection of Spanish and bilingual books and this is definitely one of my toddler’s favorites right now. The simple text is in both Spanish and English, and the sliding tabs keep her wildly entertained.

Alphabet Street By Jonathan Emmett, Illustrated by Ingela Arrhenius

We have a lot of alphabet books, but this is one of our favorites. There are flaps on each page making it highly interactive, plus the book is written in full rhyming sentences, making it more interesting for toddlers who are a little bit older. The adorable street scene setting features illustrations that are bold and fun with plenty to look at and talk about.

Guess What? - Fruit  By Yusuke Yonezu

My toddler is obsessed with this book right now as the fruit illustrations become animals with the lift of a flap! The author has a lot of colorful books for toddlers, including a number of other titles in the Guess What? Series.

  Peep Inside Animal Homes By Anna Milbourne, Illustrated by Simona Dimitri

The Usborne Peep Inside board book series is great for toddlers. We love the Peep Inside Animal Homes because it’s an interesting topic that we don’t have many other books about. There are lots of flaps throughout, cute illustrations, and great learning information about different animals and their homes. This book is super popular in our house.

Fold-a-Flap: Shapes  By Philip Giordano

This fun book starts with a basic shape that kids can unfold to discover a fun illustration hidden underneath. Great for learning basic shapes and increasing vocabulary.

Touch Think Learn: 123  By Xavier Deneux

This large book is beautifully made and super hands-on with raised numbers to trace and the corresponding number of dots made into abstract shapes of animals. There are a number of books in this Touch Think Learn series, all focused on educational topics for toddlers such as letters, numbers, shapes, farm animals, etc.

Color Wonder Hooray for Spring!  By Chieu Anh Urban

My two-year-old likes the fun rhymes of the text and turning the color wheels to change the colors in this colorful book that celebrates spring. When she’s a little bit older and can understand color mixing, it will take on a whole new educational level.

What Do You See? Around the World  By Kathy Broderick

This look-and-find book is really fun for both adults and kids as it travels around with bright illustrations depicting famous landmarks and iconic items specific to each location. It’s great for building vocabulary and engaging kids with travel around the world.

First 101 Words: A Highlights Hide-and-Seek Book with Flaps  By Highlights Learning

This book is fantastic on so many levels and is perfect for little ones learning vocabulary. In addition to the various named items, there are multiple flaps on each page to lift, and a question on each spread for kids to find the answer to. The book covers food, pets, body parts, shapes, colors, numbers, and so much more.

My Very First Library By Eric Carle

I am a huge proponent of promoting new children’s books and authors, but Eric Carle books stand the true test of time and even though I read them as a kid, they are still excellent today. This interactive set is fabulous for toddlers and includes four books that focus on words, numbers, shapes, and colors. The top pages turn independently from the bottom pages so that kids can match up the correct number/shape/word/color with the corresponding illustration.

From Head to Toe  By Eric Carle

Also by Eric Carle, this energetic and vibrant book gets kids clapping, stomping, and moving their bodies around in fun ways to emulate animals. My daughter is at an age where she likes to act out books so this energetic book is particularly great for her right now.

Press Here  By Hervé Tullet

Even I immediately fell in love with this now-classic interactive book from the first time we read it. It all starts with a yellow dot that embarks on a magical journey when you follow the instructions of the text. It’s engaging, fun, and a literal page-turner for all ages.

Dear Zoo By Rod Campbell

This has been a favorite lift-the-flap of my toddler’s since she was a baby and she still reaches for it on a very regular basis so I had to include it here. This classic book has all kids of fun flaps and is great for young kids learning their animals.

That’s Not My Bunny  By Fiona Watt, Illustrated by Rachel Wells

This is another book that’s great for babies and can still hold the interest of toddlers. The touch and feel aspect of the book is great for teaching textures and body parts. The illustrations are bold and engaging for little ones. There’s an entire series of “That’s Not My ______” so pick your favorite animal/creature of the bunch to get.

Can You See What I See? Dinosaurs  By Walter Wick

This is the kids’ board book version of the popular I Spy books by the same author. My toddler was immediately obsessed with this rhyming search-and-find dinosaur book that also teaches opposites. There is also a Can You See What I See? Trucks and Cars in board book version.

My Story Quiet Book

This isn’t technically a board book, but I’m throwing it in as a bonus because it’s basically indestructible and highly interactive with things like zippers, velcro shapes, laces, and buttons. It once kept my daughter quietly playing by herself for a full 27 minutes on a long flight and that should speak for itself.

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