a few of our favorite books right now!

hi! i’d love to share some of our favorite books right now, ones that eleanor and samson seem to ask to have read to them over and over again each day. i wanted to start with these three books, because they are not only so great for both their ages, but they are interactive! which i love! i think reading to your little ones is one of the greatest things we can do for our children, especially in a world where technology seems to be taking over everything. i admit we use the iPad just as much as the next family might, and there are wonderful apps and tools for little ones that teach and encourage their young minds, but books are still the best option in my opinion, and i’m so thankful my littles ask for “more” and “more” reading every day.

1. lines that wiggle

by candice whitman. we’ve been borrowing this interactive book from our neighbor, who is a schoolteacher in harlem and couldn’t believe we didn’t know of it! it’s pretty great. there is a raised embossed line on every page, always turning into so many things! lines of a spider’s web or the veins in a leaf, zig zags and swirls, lines that bend and lines on bugs that stick straight out! it’s fun for the kids to use their finger and trace the lines through every page. we like to point out all the lines we see in their room after reading which becomes a very fun game.

2. press here

by herve tulle. eleanor especially loves this book. press the yellow dot and turn the page, suddenly there are two dots! each page has instructions of what to do next, from shaking the page (then turning the page to find all the dots scattered about!) to tilting the book or counting and pressing each multiplied dot. it’s fun to watch each page surprise you with something new. i think this book is so good for a child’s imagination. eleanor almost has it memorized, but will still giggle and say, “silly dot!” when we turn the page. it’s really fun to read as an adult, too. ;)

3. tap the magic tree

by christie metheson. this book is similar in idea to press here, by giving the child instructions of taping and shaking and even blowing a kiss to make the tree do something new while you explore each season of life for the tree. it changes from a bare brown tree to one with beautiful leaves and blossoms then to apples and eventually snow! it’s been great for samson as he learns to count out loud all the different leaves or blossoms or apples falling. i actually just used this book for samson’s play school lesson earlier this week and was really amazed at how attentive all the little ones were while they participated as i read the story. it’s definitely a good one.

what are some of your favorite interactive books for children? what was your favorite when you were little?

ps. eleanor’s baby shower over 3 years ago all about books!