25 of the Best Interactive Books for Kids

Interactive picture books are books that require some participation or interaction from the reader. You can make story time exciting for your preschoolers with these fun, interactive books for kids.

What Are Interactive Books?

Interactive books for kids are cool books where you don’t just sit and read quietly – you get to join in the action! They may have interactive features like lift-the-flap books, pop-up books, book with pull tabs, touch & feel books. In some of the best and most creative interactive books, children’s book authors have found some innovative ways to get kids involved with books in a hands-on way

Why Are Interactive Books Important?

You can create excitement about literacy and make story time fun for your preschool-age kids and young readers by using interactive books. Kids get very excited about books when they can engage with them through multiple senses.

Interactive children’s books provide a great way to transform your reading time from a sedentary activity to an exciting ADVENTURE! They are fun for classroom story time and are perfect for spending quality time with the whole family at home.

The Best Interactive Book Ideas

Here are some of our favorite interactive books for kids. Try some of them, and let me know what you think.

Make Your Own Interactive Books

You can make custom interactive books for your kids. In fact, some of the most popular and best books on a classroom bookshelf are homemade class books. You don’t have to be creative to make them, as there are printable templates that you can get to help you out. Check out this article about 20 of the Most Engaging Class Books for Preschoolers to learn more.

Interactive Books from the Book Store

If you don’t have time to make a DIY interactive book, there are many great ones that you can pick up at your local bookstore or from Amazon. These are my favorites.

Interactive Children’s Books By Hervé Tullet

Some of the best interactive books are by the acclaimed author Hervé Tullet. Tullet, a French artist and children’s book creator has an innovative approach to storytelling. His books blend imaginative illustrations with engaging activities, inviting readers to become active participants in the narrative.

Press Here by Hervé Tullet – This book begins by asking kids to press the yellow dot on the page. It then encourages you to shake, tilt, and more. Your kids will be delighted to see what happens when you turn each page.

Mix It Up! by Hervé Tullet- Teach your kids about combining colors with this fun interactive book. Your kids will have fun mixing colors WITHOUT the messy cleanup.

Say Zoop! by Hervé Tullet – This book is an excellent read aloud for your classroom. It will help kids learn colors as they participate in the reading.

Tap! Tap! Tap! Dance! Dance! Dance! by Hervé Tullet – Throughout this fun interactive book, kids are encouraged to tap, flip, leap, dance, jump and zoom, roll, and more with their hands.

Get Out of My Bath! by Britta Teckentrup – As Ellie the elephant tries to get other animals out of her bathtub, you and your kids will be are encouraged to get involved in the story by shaking and tilting the board book.

Favorite Interactive Books by Bill Cotter

Don’t Push the Button by Bill Cotter – When someone tells me NOT to push the button, it makes me curious to see what happens when I push it. Can I get an amen? This silly monster book celebrates our natural curiosity.

If your kids enjoy Don’t Push the Button, they will also enjoy these titles by Bill Cotter.

Interactive Picture Books by Christie Matheson

Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson – Your kids can help the lonely tree change as the seasons change by tapping, patting, clapping, and wiggling.

If your kids are Tap the Magic Tree fans, check out these additional titles by author Christie Matheson.

More Interactive Book From Additional Authors

When I say OOH You Say AAH by John Kane – Your kids can help tell this silly story by responding to the book’s verbal and visual cues. The book is hilarious, but be warned, it does contain innocent underpants humor.

Huff and Puff by Claudia Rueda – Kids can play the Big Bad Wolf part in this interactive version of the 3 Little Pigs tale. This version has a lovely twist at the end.

Bunny Slopes by Claudia Rueda – Kids can shake, tilt, and turn this book to help Bunny ski down the slope in this fun book. It’s a great interactive winter-themed book for your kids.

The Black and White Factor by Eric Talpin – Your kids will be asked to push buttons and help clean up the mess when color is introduced into the black & white factory.

Play This Book by Jessica Young – This book serves as a great introduction to various musical instruments and is perfect for a music or 5 senses theme. The author invites kids to “play” the instruments on each page.

I Got the Rhythm by Connie Schofield-Morrison – Your kids can sniff, snap, shake, and clap along as a little girl hears rhythm in her neighborhood.

Give & Take by Lucie Felix Kids – press out a shape on each page of this book and use it to complete a picture on the next page. This interactive book allows them to work on shape recognition and motor skills.

Cat Secrets by Jet Czekaj – As you read this silly book, your kids will have to perform some cat acts to prove that they are cats. You don’t have to be a cat lover to enjoy this book. But, if you happen to be a cat person like myself, you will LOVE it.

One Red Dot by David A. Carter – Kids can search each of the 10 pop-up sculptures to find the one red dot.

Don’t Wake the Dragon by Bianca Schulze – While everyone in the castle is making noise, your kids will help make sure that the dragon stays asleep.

What’s Next Door? by Nicola O’Byrne – Kids can help the crocodile find his way home by tracing the lines in the book with their fingers to create new doors for him to go through.

Can You Make a Scary Face? by Jan Thomas – From the author of my favorite rhyming book, this fun interactive book is great for a group of kids. The bossy ladybug instructs kids to do a variety of silly actions.

The Wide-Mouthed Frog by Keith Faulkner – If you love pop-up books, this is one of the best. Your kids will love learning what animals eat in this beautifully illustrated book.

Well, I hope that you enjoy the variety of interactive books for kids that I have shared. Did I miss one of your favorites? Please let me know, and I’ll add it to the list.

Additional Books for Your Kids

Are you looking for additional book ideas? Check out more books for preschoolers.