Interactive Board Books - Lift the Flap, Pull the Tab, Touch the Feather, It's Fun!

INTERACTIVE BOARD BOOKS:
These are the books that encourage infants and toddlers to actively participate in the story. It starts with touchy feeling books around six months. Babies graduate to lift the flaps at around a year, and at 18 months or so toddlers can finally pull the tabs to make tails wag. Some of these books are works of art - but don't get too attached, because if you let your child play with these books, they will get destroyed. It is a catch 22, the books are designed to be touched, but when children touch them flaps are torn off the page, feathers are slobbered on, and movable heads are simply removed. Just remember the book is for the child, not you.

David A. Carter

Feely bugs, space bugs, fairy bugs; Mr. Carter is famous for his bugs. But he isn't all bugs, my family's favorite David A. Carter is The Happy Little Yellow Box. Henry (my 20-month-old) has been a big fan for about three months now - I've already had to repair it twice.

FEELY BUGS
AGES 6 MONTHS TO 2

Feely Bugs is a great book to give at a baby shower, or for a child's first Christmas. Kids start enjoying it around six months old and continue to love the book until around two. It is a touchy feely book of the ultimate sort. It has feather, crinkles, and some really cool bugs.





THE HAPPY LITTLE YELLOW BOX
AGES 1 TO 3
This interactive gem has flaps to lift, tabs to pull, and even some pop-ups. However, it is much simpler than many pull tab books and is appropriate for kids as young as 12 months. The super duper cool page, or at least Henry's favorite, is the giant pop-up box with the smaller pop-up box inside (to illustrate large & small). Henry has torn the box half-way off the book, but fortunately some scotch tape put it right again. Henry saw the picture of the book on the screen just now, so of course I had to read it to him. He pointed to the Box's eyes and said "eyes". It is so exciting when they start to speak! Kids are so much fun! And the books just add to the joy.


BUILDER BUGS
AGES 2-4

Builder Bugs is a lift the flap, pop-up book. Unlike Feely Bugs or The Happy Yellow Box it is too delicate for younger toddlers, and is really geared towards kids two to four years old. I can't wait to give it to Henry for Christmas.

 

 

 

 

 

Matthew Van Fleet

I've seen Mr. Van Fleet's gorgeous books recommended for kids ages 1 and up, but personally I would hold off until the child is at least 18 months old. The books are so beautiful, I can't stand to see them destroyed on their first reading, and destroying these books is exactly what a 1-year-old will do. But at 18 months there is hope, the heads and tails might not last for ever, but hopefully they'll last longer than a single reading.

CAT
AGES 18 MONTHS TO 4

Though Matthew Van Fleet became famous for his book Tails (below) I first took notice when DOG came out and the publisher sent a promotional party package to my bookstore. Unlike most promotional packages, this one was great. There were dogs masks to color and even instructions on conducting a barking contest with awards! So we had a dog party, it was awesome; kids really know how to bark! Alas my family are not dog people, we like cats. Thus we (or really Oscar) fell in love with CAT. The swatting paw didn't last long, but I actually saved it in our desk drawer and re-attached it for Henry. At this moment the paw is still in the book, but who knows for how long...

TAILS
AGES 18 MONTHS TO 4

Tails is the book that made Van Fleet famous, and it is still one of his most popular titles. Its colorful, fuzzy, and clunky all at once, of course people love it!







MOO
AGES 18 MONTHS TO 4

We have three Van Fleet books, and this is Henry's favorite. It isn't that Oscar doesn't like it, but we didn't get it until Oscar was 4 and as it didn't have any sharks or dinosaurs in it he wasn't interested. As kids get older they get pickier. Henry likes photos more than illustrations, and he's at the age where he is still learning animal sounds. Basically this book is perfect for him. Our chicken lost its head and no longer pecks, but so far that is the only casualty. If you are looking for a book to give as a gift MOO would be a good choice.

The Weird and Beloved

PAT THE BEASTIE
AGES 18 MONTHS TO 4

In Pat the Beastie two mean children pull a beast's worm boogers, bonk his nose, yank is fur and so on until he eats them up. It is not your typical children's story, but the kids love it and there are plenty of adults who get a kick out of it as well.

LOVE THE BEASTIE

 AGES 18 MONTHS TO 4

In the follow-up to Pat the Beastie the two naughty children promise to be good so the Beastie spits them out and they play at the park together. There are plenty of tabs to pull and flaps to lift at the playground, though there isn't a lot of hair to tug.

Dr. Seuss

ALL ABOARD THE CIRCUS MCGURKUS
AGES 6-MONTHS TO 4

This lift the flap book appeals to a surprisingly large age group. The book pulls out like a train with different creatures in each car performing different tricks beneath the flaps. Oscar, who will be five in three months, stops to listen and help with the flaps when I read this to Henry.

WET PET, DRY PET, YOUR PET, MY PET!

AGES 6-MONTHS TO 3

Wet Pet (etc) is a touchy feely book with some extra flair. There is one pull tab that not even my four-year-old can manage on his own, and one lift the flap that is especially easy to tear off. Despite these pitfalls the book is still good enough for me to share it with you. It has fabulous feathers, fur, and even rings. And it is fun to read, in general, Dr. Seuss is fun to read.

Peter Rabbit

PETER RABBIT WHO LIVES HERE?
AGES 6 MONTHS TO 3 YEARS

I love Beatrix Potter, I love her tales and I especially love Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny. That said the stories are too complicated to read to babies and toddlers and I feel the constant references to all the Beatrix Potter tales in board books are for the parents and not the kids. But I included this book because it is one of the most durable interactive books I have ever seen!The pages are especially thick with sliding tabs that are easy for little fingers to maneuver. This is one interactive book that might actually make it through multiple children!

Henry's Favorite

TONS OF TRUCKS
AGES 18 MONTHS TO 4 YEARS

Tons of Trucks is modeled on the Matthew Van Fleet style of books. However, it isn't as beautiful or clever as Matthew Van Fleet books usually are. But Matthew Van Fleet doesn't yet have a book about trucks, I wish he did. Despite not being FABULOUS, Tons of Trucks is a cute book, and Henry LOVES it. It has tabs and flaps AND it has trucks. He is a fan.