The Best Interactive Books For Under 5s

With World Book Day fast approaching, trying to find a book that your little one might enjoy has never been so important. Many schools and nurseries take to celebrating the special day by encouraging children to dress up as their favourite character, and providing them with £1 World Book Day tokens, with which they can purchase one of 12 different books that are on offer.

To help your child take the first steps towards discovering all the adventures that wait for them within the pages of a book, we’ve put together a short list of some of the best interactive books for under 5s.

Read on to find out more.

What’s so great about interactive books?

Reading itself is extremely important for a child’s social and educational development. It also helps them to improve their listening skills, spark creativity, and most importantly – is a great time for you both to bond.

Interactive books are a great way for the book to offer you a helping hand when encouraging your child to read. When a child feels like they play a part in the story, or have something that can immerse them into it, they are more likely to become engaged and want to explore the pages again and again.

Smiley Eyes, Smiley Faces – Dawn McNiff and Zoe Waring

This book was written in 2021, right in the middle of the pandemic. With today’s toddlers growing up in a world where adults are wearing face coverings, it can be hard for them to gauge how friendly someone is. This book explores that although you can’t always see someone’s smile, it doesn’t mean it’s not there!

As your little one lifts the flaps and looks under the masks of doctors, shop assistants, commuters and more, they’ll reveal a big smiley face – helping them to navigate growing up in this sometimes-strange world.

Ladybird London: Search and Find – Klara Hawkins

Whilst there’s an array of fantasy worlds waiting for you and your child to explore within the pages, there’s also the real world, right on your doorstep. In this book, you can safely explore London, from the comfort of your own home (or make it even more interactive by going to London to read the book), and discover everything from pigeons and tourists, to famous landmarks like Big Ben. Your child will love spotting all the different things they can see in the capital city of the UK, all whilst you both learn some interesting facts!

That’s Not My Lemur… – Fiona Watt

This board book is perfect for your little one. As part of a series of touchy-feely books, your child can explore the furry, fluffy and shiny patches as they identify their favourite lemur.

Alongside this, Fiona Watt has also published a series of other That’s Not My… books, including animals and other friends such as a dinosaur, a teddy, a Christmas fairy, and a unicorn, to name just a few. There’s also a familiar little mouse for your child to spot throughout each of the books. 

Where’s Spot? – Eric Hill

We can’t make a list of some of the best interactive books for under 5s and forget about this timeless classic. As the first-ever lift-the-flap book, Where’s Spot? follows the journey of Spot’s mum as she searches for her puppy. On this adventure, your little one will find many familiar objects, situations and environments as they embark on the hunt for the adorable Spot.

If none of these books take you or your little one’s fancy, then you could always make a book interactive, by asking questions, adopting a thumbs up/down system, letting your child finish the story their way, or even acting it out with teddies or puppets!