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My favorite part of being a Children’s Librarian is doing storytime. It’s one of my favorite parts of being a mom too! This month we’re going to have fun with some interactive picture books you can read with your kids. These books get kids moving and playing and having fun with books – perfect for kids who don’t like to sit down quietly to hear a story. These are not ideal for babies or young toddlers, but when kids are a little bit bigger these books are a blast!

A Starter for Interactive Books

Plant the Tiny Seed by Christie Matheson

I love interactive books, but for those parents who want to ease into it – or reluctant kids – this is a great starter book. The actions are simple requests, like pretending to plant and water seeds, or shooing away a snail. Everything can be done sitting down, and it’s perfect for a one-on-one reading with your child in your lap. In a group, I tell the kids to pretend they can touch the cloud, for example, and instead of touching the book myself, I will tap the air in front of me to demonstrate.

This book is ideal for springtime, when flowers are starting to pop up out of the ground everywhere, but you can read it whenever you want. Like… today, maybe? Go check your local library and see if they have it for you to borrow.

Christie Matheson also wrote similar interactive books Tap the Magic Tree and Touch the Brightest Star.

A Circular Interactive Story

Don’t Push the Button by Bill Cotter

An adorable creature named Larry starts off warning the reader not to push the big red button on the page beside him. “Seriously, don’t even think about it!” Even though it looks pretty harmless… Be honest – now even you want to know what would happen if you push the button! Obviously, there would be no story if we didn’t find out. Kids can push the button when prompted, and then continue to follow Larry’s directions, which is usually just to push the button again and again. At one point he says to shake the book (I’m not going to spoil it with a reason, but I’m sure if you follow my link above to Goodreads you can see it in other reviews). I turn the book upside down and shake it. For a group in storytime, I also shake my body and I ask the kids to shake themselves too.

This can be used as a circular story too. At the end, after everything is back to “normal,” Larry says again not to touch the button, but the last page says something like, “Well, maybe just one more time…” If your child is having a lot of fun, you can turn back to the beginning of the story and read it again. But if you’ve had enough, maybe it’s time to move on.

Maybe You Shouldn’t Follow ALL of The Directions in This Interactive Book

Just Like Me by Joshua Seigal

This is a lot more interactive than the previous books, and kids should be standing for this one so that they can act out the book. It’s like Simon Says without saying Simon Says. Caregivers be forewarned – the book says to do various things “just like me,” and if you don’t demonstrate then you might get called out on it.

Note: One page says “Pick your nose just like me!” I take this opportunity to not follow directions, and I say it like I’m surprised and disgusted. “Pick your nose just like me??? Ewwwww, don’t do that!” I would skip the page entirely except it would ruin the rhyme scheme, and kids laugh a lot at this part anyway.

Use Your Best Announcer’s Voice for This Interactive Book

Crash, Splash, or Moo! by Bob Shea

This is less interactive than the others, but it is one of the funniest books I’ve ever read so I saved the best for last. This book is a game show, and I highly recommend reading it in your very best game show announcer voice – you know the one I mean, with the animated voice who sounds like he’s never been this excited. Think of the announcer on The Price is Right, letting the contestant know they are about to have a chance to win “a brand… new… CAR!!!!” This is because when you read this book, you are Mr. McMonkey, host of the game show Crash, Splash, or Moo!

You read a scenario and the kid(s) is asked what will happen next. “Raise your hand if you think it’s Crash… raise your hand if you think it’s Splash… and raise your hand if you think it’s Moo.” I like to raise my hand for something that is obviously going to be wrong, so that if my child is wrong he doesn’t feel bad about it. If the child is correct, they win a banana. If your child gets the answers right, consider rewarding them with a banana for a snack. (Then again, bananas are super healthy, and your child deserves a healthy snack even if they get the answers incorrect. This isn’t a test, it’s a fun book.)

Bob Shea has written and illustrated many other wonderful picture books you can check out as well. If you haven’t read any of his Dinosaur vs. books, I am hereby ordering you to get to a library or bookstore and fix that. The dinosaur character is based on his own son, when he was a toddler. You can make these a little interactive as well by asking your child to roar along with the story.

Check out Miss Michelle’s Book Nook

Miss Michelle shares her book recommendations each month on the In Our Homeschool blog. Find links to all of her posts here.

Miss Michelle is the sister of Kristen, who writes this blog. She has a daughter who is 9 and a son who is 4. They are not home-schooled, but Miss Michelle is super supportive and proud of her sister for doing it. She has been a full-time Children’s Librarian for over 15 years and loves to recommend her favorite books. You can follow her on Goodreads, where she keeps track of books she has read for storytime, at https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/170007385-miss-michelle.