Interactive Picture Books for Kids

Picture books are great, but for toddlers and younger kids, you know what’s even better? Interactive picture books! These kinds of picture books encourage the reader to get involved by lifting the flap, finding a missing (or-hiding-in-plain-sight) animal, or even pushing a bright red button. If you’re looking for more ways to get your kids excited about reading, these interactive picture books for kids are it!

📚 Disclaimer in the books: Just so you know, Reading Middle Grade uses affiliate links. This means that when you shop via the links in our posts, we may earn a cent or two at no extra cost to you. Thanks for adding to our book buying fund.

The Best Interactive Picture Books for Kids

Here are 36 darling interactive picture books for kids:

Hello Hello

Published: March 20, 2018

Hello, Hello! is an interactive book for kids. Beginning with two cats, one black and one white, a chain of animals appears before the reader, linked together by at least one common trait. From simple colors and shapes to more complex and abstract associations, each unexpected encounter celebrates the magnificent diversity of our world and ultimately paints a story of connection.

Have You Seen Elephant?

Published: March 1, 2016

A small boy and his elephant play an absurd game of hide and seek in this beautifully illustrated picture book that will have young readers shouting out loud in delight, and adults laughing too, as Elephant hides, in full view. Perhaps the little dog sees him, perhaps not.

Flora and the Flamingo

Published: February 5, 2013

Every little ballerina dreams of her turn as a dancing diva. Endearing Flora in swimsuit, bathing cap, and flippers admires a pink flamingo . . . and with a twist, a turn, and even a flop, these unlikely friends learn at last how to dance together in perfect harmony.

Tap the Magic Tree

Published: August 27, 2013

It begins with a bare brown tree. But tap that tree, turn the page, and one bright green leaf has sprouted! Tap again—one, two, three, four—and four more leaves have grown on the next page. Pat, clap, wiggle, jiggle, and see blossoms bloom, apples grow, and the leaves swirl away with the autumn breeze. The collage-and-watercolor art evokes the bright simplicity of Lois Ehlert and Eric Carle and the interactive concept will delight fans of Pat the Bunny. Combining a playful spirit and a sense of wonder about nature, Christie Matheson has created a new modern classic that is a winner in every season—and every story time!

Find Fergus

Published: November 3, 2020

The hilarious illustrator of I Don’t Want to Be a Frog brings picture book fans a super-silly, interactive story that will have children giggling from start to finish. Follow huge, loveable Fergus and see all the many ways in which he is TERRIBLE at playing hide-and-seek, such as standing behind a VERY tiny tree (“Found you, Fergus! That was too easy!”) or trying to camouflage in a giant crowd of bunnies and squirrels (“Try bears, Fergus. Bears!”).

But wait! The game isn’t over yet! The last two pages fold out into a giant panoramic look-and-find scene, where Fergus is well and truly hidden, and young readers can have fun looking for him and lots of other details in the the crowd. There are hours and hours of play value in this adorable book. Children will want to come back to it again and again.

Hungry Bunny

Published: September 11, 2018

In this charming sequel to Bunny Slopes, Bunny needs help picking apples for mama’s apple pie. Young readers will delight in using the included red ribbon to help Bunny reach new heights and pick those tasty apples. Children will have fun as they rock the book back and forth and turn it around and around for a unique roller-coaster adventure on Bunny’s way home. Filled with puns and Claudia’s Rueda’s warm sense of humor, this book has jokes for readers young and old, and will have the whole family giggling. Adorable illustrations, interactive narration, an unexpected plot, and a cozy and reassuring ending make this a favorite of adults as well as kids.

Don’t Push the Button!

Published: November 1, 2013

There’s only one rule in Larry’s book: don’t push the button.

(Seriously, don’t even think about it!)

Even if it does look kind of nice, you must never push the button. Who knows what would happen?

Okay, quick. No one is looking… push the button.

Uh, oh.

Press Here

Published: March 30, 2011

Harness the power of imagination and interactivity: Press the yellow dot on the cover of this book, follow the instructions within, and embark upon a magical journey! Each page of this surprising book instructs the reader to press the dots, shake the pages, tilt the book, and who knows what will happen next! Children and adults alike will giggle with delight as the dots multiply, change direction, and grow in size! Especially remarkable because the adventure in Press Here occurs on the flat surface of the simple, printed page, this unique picture book about the power of imagination and interactivity will provide read aloud fun for all ages!

• The perfect book for young children to learn about following directions and cause and effect
• Ideal as a fun and interactive read aloud book for families or small groups
• Known as the “Prince of Preschool,” the versatile Hervé Tullet has been an art director at various ad agencies, a magazine illustrator, and for the past 15 years, a creator of children’s books

Crunch, the Shy Dinosaur

Published: May 29, 2018

Crunch is a lovely and quiet brontosaurus who has hidden himself in some shubbery and is rather shy. He would like to play, but it will require some gentle coaxing from you! If you are patient and encouraging, you will find yourself with a new friend!

Don’t Blink!

Published: June 6, 2017

Think you can win a staring contest against an elephant? What about a gorilla, a cheetah, a fox, or an alligator? What about all them―AND a bunch of their other animal friends―at the same time? You’re about to find out!

Whatever you do DON’T BLINK!

Yes Day!

Published: May 5, 2009

No matter how silly the request, there is one day a year when kids always receive a positive response: Can I have pizza for breakfast? YES! Can we have a food fight? YES! Can I stay up really late? YES!

The simple text coupled with delightful illustrations will send kids on a journey into their wildest wishes. With humor and appreciation for life’s little pleasures, Yes Day! captures the excitement of being a kid.

Read It, Don’t Eat It!

Published: April 28, 2009

You are holding a book.

What should you do with it?

Open it, and you will find out.

There’s a Monster in Your Book

Published: September 12, 2017

This read-aloud, interactive picture book treat invites children to make magic happen page by page, tilting, spinning and shaking the book, and then seeing the funny results when each page is turned. A fantastic celebration of all the fun that can be had with a book, with a wonderful wind-down bedtime ending!

Open Very Carefully: A Book with Bite

Published: February 26, 2013

What would you do if you were settling down for a quiet bedtime story and you realized that a crocodile had fallen into your storybook and was — not to put too fine a point on it — wreaking havoc? Would you slam that book shut and cram it back onto the bookshelf? Or would you be brave enough to peek?

Do Not Open This Book

Published: January 1, 2016

This guy will do anything for you not to open this book!
Threats, bribes, reverse psychology – you name it!
A hilarious new book from radio extraordinaire and all-round funny guy, Andy Lee.
Young readers will love doing everything they’re asked not to!

Some Bugs

Published: March 4, 2014

Grab your magnifying glass!
Find your field guide!
And come hop, hide, swim, and glide
through this buggy backyard world!

Crash, Splash, or Moo!

Published: September 18, 2018

Mr. McMonkey is your host, and your contestants are America’s favorite stunt clam, Action Clam…and a cow! These unlikely daredevils face off in a zany sequence of challenges–and readers get to guess the outcome of all the wacky stunts. The winner gets a Golden Banana!

The Honeybee

Published: May 8, 2018

Bzzz…

What’s that?
Do you hear it?
You’re near it.
It’s closer,
it’s coming,
it’s buzzing,
it’s humming…

A BEE!

This Book Just Ate My Dog!

Published: September 30, 2014

When her dog disappears into the gutter of the book, Bella calls for help. But when the helpers disappear too, Bella realizes it will take more than a tug on the leash to put things right. Cleverly using the physicality of the book, This book just ate my dog! is inventive, ingenious, and just pure kid-friendly fun!

There Are No Cats in This Book

Published: September 14, 2010

Our lovable feline friends Tiny, Moonpie, and Andre have returned, and this time they’re filled with the spirit of adventure: they want to go off to explore the world! They have their suitcases packed and are ready to set out, but can’t get out of the book. They try pushing their way out and jumping their way out, but nothing seems to work. Finally, they get a brilliant idea: they decide to wish themselves out! But they’re going to need help. Will it work? Are you missing them yet?

That’s My Hat

Published: February 15, 2016

Between the covers of That’s My Hat! lies a pop-up city that is full of surprises. The adventure unfolds in three dimensions with the turn of each page: a blue hat blows away with the wind, only to be stolen by a mischievous monkey. Readers must follow the monkey as he scampers through a library, a bakery, a zoo, and other familiar places, transformed in this playfully illustrated, interactive world. Illustrated in color throughout

Mix It Up!

Published: September 16, 2014

A mess free way to learn about transforming colors and following directions: Accept Hervé Tullet’s irresistible invitation to mix it up in a dazzling adventure of whimsy and wonder. Follow the artist’s simple instructions and suddenly colors appear, mix, splatter, and vanish in a world powered only by the reader’s imagination. In Mix It Up! Tullet sets readers on an extraordinary interactive journey all within the printed page.

• The perfect book for young children to develop an understanding of colors
• Ideal as a fun and interactive read aloud book for families or small groups
• Known as the “Prince of Preschool,” the versatile Hervé Tullet has been an art director at various ad agencies, a magazine illustrator, and for the past 15 years, a creator of children’s books

Fans of Press Here, Let’s Play!, and Say Zoop! will love this glorious and richly satisfying companion book, Mix It Up!

Great for preschoolers and early readers to learn about combining colors in a fun and imaginative way.

• Kids will giggle as they mash, smoosh and mix up colors as they participate in the story
• Paint colors are vibrant, fun and incredibly realistic
• Books for kids ages 3 7
• Stimulating children’s book that encourages imagination and creativity

Spunky Little Monkey

Published: January 3, 2017

Sleepy little monkey won’t get out of bed.
Mama called the Doctor and the Doctor said:
“Apple Juice, Orange Juice, Gooseberry Pies —
Monkey needs some exercise!”

Sleepy little monkeys everywhere will clap, stomp, shake, and cheer — while chanting this rhythmic, energetic dance song based on a popular playground game. And as they move their heads, hands, hips, and feet — everyone will be bursting with clapping energy — and ready to start a new day!

You Might Be Special!

Published: October 5, 2021

Do you ever feel like you’re different from everyone else? Like there’s no one quite like you? Then you might be special! Take this quiz to find out! This playful book speaks directly to readers and asks questions to determine if they qualify as “special.” The first questions are pretty conventional: “Do you like to stay up late? Can you run fast and jump high? Are you sometimes wild and crazy?” Yes! Yes! Yes! But then: “Do people run away when they see your furry face and pointy teeth?” No? Definitely not a werewolf, then! This same pattern repeats for several fantastical creatures — unicorns, dragons, mermaids. Then, finally, readers are reassured: though they may be only human, they are different from everyone else. There is no one quite like them. As the book affirms, “You’re special because you’re … YOU!”

I say OOH You say AAH

Published: March 1, 2018

“There’s something very important that I need you to remember. When I say Ooh, you say Aah. Let’s try it.”

In this interactive picture book, young readers help to tell the story by responding to simple verbal or visual cues. This hilarious book is perfect for reading aloud and is fun for the whole family.

Get Out of My Bath!

Published: August 4, 2015

Ellie the elephant loves to have fun in the bath, but she’s not the only one. Her fun is interrupted when a crocodile decides to join her, followed by a flamingo, then a mouse and even a tiger! Poor Ellie’s bath is ruined. What can she do? She sucks all the water into her trunk, of course! Then she waits until all the uninvited animals have left before squirting it back. Finally she can enjoy her bath in peace! A beautifully designed, boldly illustrated picture book for the very young in which readers are encouraged to get involved in the story through tilting and shaking the book.

Can You Make a Scary Face?

Published: August 4, 2009

What kind of a face would you make if a tickly green bug were sitting on your nose? Or if it were—eek!—inside your shirt? Could you make a scary face to frighten it away? Or, even better, stand up and do the chicken dance? Yes? Then better get to it! This exuberant, interactive picture book starring a bossy little ladybug and a GIANT hungry frog will have kids leaping up and down and out of their seats to dance and make silly scary faces of their own.

Something Stinks!

Published: June 15, 2021

In this delightfully funny picture book, an awful stink is invading the nostrils of its furry protagonist, a clueless skunk. Skunk is ready to sniff out the source of the stench, but where could it be coming from? Find out in this foul-smelling story–just be sure to hold your nose!

Nibbles: The Book Monster

Published: April 7, 2016

Nibbles the Book Monster is on the loose, and he’s chomping through all of your favorite fairy tales! Will anything or anyone be able to stop him?

This Book is Full of Monsters

Published: August 15, 2017

This is a book full of monsters: small, smelly, yelling, creepy… monsters! So it’s a book for hard core monster lovers, but also for beginners in monsterology. With shock effects! Try it yourself! Softies keep out! Conquer your deepest fears! Tremble and shiver with pleasure! Are you scared already? No? Just you wait and see?. (Includes a monstrously fun pop-up spread at the end of the book!)

Please Don’t Read This Book

Published: January 12, 2021

Wait–are you reading this book? Even though the cover asked you not to?

Well, if you’re going to read it, then you’ll have to follow the rules, or you’re going to have WAY too much fun. And you don’t want to have FUN, do you? DO YOU?!

That’s what I thought. So definitely, positively, DO NOT read this book!

Don’t Wake the Dragon

Published:  July 28, 2020

Don’t Wake the Dragon is a fantastic and interactive bedtime story featuring a sound-asleep dragon who under no circumstances is to be woken up! Children are tasked with checking in on the sleeping dragon as the castle cook drops his pots and pans and when the knights throw a loud birthday party. It isn’t until the whole kingdom settles down that the dragon wakes up. What is the kingdom to do? Designed to be read aloud and interacted with, parents will take pleasure in the playful text as much as children will enjoy gently rocking the book from side to side as they sing the dragon a lullaby. When the story finally comes to an end, and the gentle lullaby is repeated, the dragon (and the child!) is encouraged to drift off to sleep.

• The whimsical and colorful illustrations enable the dragon to jump off the page and will delight the reader with its humor and personality on every page.
• Creates a wonderful bedtime ritual with children that they will look forward to every night.

Everybunny Dance!

Published: January 17, 2017

Nobody is watching.
Now’s the perfect chance.
Ready bunny,
Steady bunny,
EVERYBUNNY DANCE!

Spot & Dot

Published: August 13, 2019

This time, a dog named Dot draws Spot from his window. As we follow Spot and Dot on their wordless journey, we quickly realize that it’s Dot the dog who is missing this time, and Spot is trying to get her back home. We follow these two on a different journey through the city as they weave in and out of a bakery, a library, a busy park, and more. And with a surprise twist at the end, we realize that “home” for both cat and dog was never very far away.

Have You Seen My Dragon?

Published: April 8, 2014

In the heart of the city, among the taxis and towers, a small boy travels uptown and down, searching for his friend. Readers will certainly spot the glorious beast, plus an array of big-city icons they can count. Is the dragon taking the crosstown bus, or breathing his fiery breath below a busy street? Maybe he took a taxi to the zoo or is playing with the dogs in the park. Steve Light’s masterful pen-and-ink illustrations, decorated with meticulous splashes of color, elevate this counting book (numbers 1–20) to new heights. Maybe the dragon is up there, too!

Cat Secrets

Published: January 4, 2011

I’m sorry—this book is not for you. This book is for CATS ONLY.

What’s that you say?

You are a cat?

Okay . . . get ready to prove it!

There they are: 36 of the most charming interactive picture books for kids! Which of these books have you read and loved? Which ones did I miss?

More Picture Book Lists

• Great board books for kids
• Picture books about mindfulness
• Preschool readaloud picture books

Pin This Post – Interactive Picture Books for Kids