Interacting with Books – Usborne Books & More edition

Kids love interacting with books. Ever wonder why The Book with No Pictures has done so remarkably well? Kids think it is hysterical to make their parents say all kind of crazy things. So even when a grown-up thinks the book might be silly, that’s the exact kind of book that a child will gravitate towards. This is something that Usborne Books & More excels at, so I wanted to highlight a few of their newest books that allow kids to really participate in the story.

*Note – I am an Independent Usborne Books & More Consultant. Some of the links below go to my website and should you purchase books, I do make a commission. All opinions are my own.

The most comical book in their new releases is from Kane Miller called I Say Ooh, You Say Aah. As the back of the book says, “This is no ordinary book.” From the very start, it doesn’t even have your normal title page, rather, the first page of the book gives the important instructions, “When I say ooh, you say aah as loudly as you can.” Each page has the child and reader interacting with tons of silly antics. Both of my daughters adored this book and we have read it multiple times. My 7 year old loves to read it so that the adult has to be the one interacting and she can be straight faced. You have to love a good book that winds up with a donkey wearing underpants on his head and allows you to share in the fun of reading together.

I have also long loved the Shine-A-Light books from Kane Miller. My favorite has been The Human Body for some time, with Secrets of the Vegetable Garden being a close second. There are now 17 books available in this series and the new ones are pretty amazing. The theory behind these books is that because kids love interacting with books and because many also love flashlights, why not give a kid a flashlight so that they can discover the facts in these books? The books are all nonfiction and each page asks a question that will be answered when they shine the light through the page. At the Hospital helps get a child accustomed to what goes on in a hospital. Especially useful before doctor appointment, new babies, or if someone is having surgery. At the Garage is also a pretty amazing book for any child interested in cars. One thing I especially like about this book is that there is even a female mechanic working on the cars. There really is something for everyone with this collection.

A long-time favorite in the Usborne Books & More world is All Better. It actually went out of stock for a while and people were chomping at the bit for the new copies to be printed. This fun book utilizes the fact that young kids love putting band-aids on things. With this book, kids get 5 reusable and repositionable stickers that they can put on the various animals who get boo-boos. Each time they are encouraged to “Clean it, kiss it and put a bandage on it.”

Similarly, for any child that needs glasses, there is the wonderful Little Bear Needs Glasses. In this book, Little Bear can’t see very clearly and his friends are worried! Dog, Mouse, Pig and Cow all offer their glasses, but they’re not quite right. Little Bear still can’t see very well. He needs glasses of his very own! Little readers will love helping Little Bear pick out the pair that are “just right” for him.

I’m not even going to touch the lift-the-flap books, since I’ve written about them before, but that is also a great way for kids to participate with the books and learn about a variety of topics.

For more interactive children’s books, click here. What are your kids’ favorite ways to engage with books?