The best interactive books for toddlers

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the author-illustrator of funny picture books for kids, including the interactive book, Animals Go Vroom!. As an illustrator, I revel in creating jokes and storylines in the pictures that kids can follow along with by themselves. And as a mother of two small children myself, I know first-hand the magical experience of reading books with toddlers that keep them guessing and giggling along the way.


I wrote...

Book cover of Animals Go Vroom!

What is my book about?

With a nod to Richard Scarry, this interactive picture book surprises readers with every turn of the page!

Hiss! Screech! Roar! It’s a noisy day in Bumperville! But are the sounds what you think they are? That Honk! must surely be a goose. But turn the page and it’s the taxi that a goose is driving! Using cleverly placed die-cuts, this inventive book hints at what is making the sound, but with each turn of the page, it’s an eye-opening surprise and part of an unfolding story that is part guessing game and part giggle-inducing caper.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Tuck Me In!

Abi Cushman Why did I love this book?

In this interactive picture book, every other page is cut to look like a blanket. My kids love tucking in each animal by turning the page. This simple, gentle bedtime book also features repeated lines, so kids can join in the reading. “Who else needs to be tucked in?” / “I do!” It’s a wonderful way to get toddlers engaged in the story (but not in a rambunctious way) before settling into bed. 

By Dean Hacohen, Sherry Scharschmidt (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Tuck Me In! as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Time for bed everyone! Turn the page and tuck all of the baby animals into their cosy beds.

The stars are out. The moon is rising. All the baby animals, from peacocks to pigs to zebras, are ready for bed. Will you tuck them in and say goodnight? Turn the pages and the big blanket flaps will cover each little creature up to its chin. This simple but endlessly satisfying novelty, with its array of baby animals, bold patterns, and brilliant colours, is sure to be the book of choice for little ones everywhere, night after night.


Book cover of Polar Bear's Underwear

Abi Cushman Why did I love this book?

This funny picture book with underwear-shaped holes follows Polar Bear and his friend Mouse as they look for Polar Bear’s underwear. Readers see a peek of the underwear on the next page and have to guess whose underwear they could be. The guessing game aspect of the book plus the topic of underwear make this a really fun read for toddlers. I also love the surprise ending which will have you examining the illustrations throughout the book again. You can also use this book to encourage potty training because it celebrates all kinds of fun underwear.   

By Tupera Tupera,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Polar Bear's Underwear as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Polar Bear has lost his underwear! Where could it be? There's only one thing to do: Remove the book's underwear-shaped bellyband to find the missing pair!
Is that Polar Bear's underwear? No, it's Zebra's-see the colourful stripes?
What about that itty-bitty pair? No, those belong to Butterfly!
And so the search continues, with every page revealing an animal in eye-popping undies. This laugh-out-loud, one-of-a-kind novelty book from Japanese design talents tupera tupera will surprise and amuse children and their parents, all while affirming the importance of putting on your underwear.


Book cover of Munch!: Mini Board Book

Abi Cushman Why did I love this book?

Toddlers will adore this fun novelty board book about animal mouths and chewing. My kids enjoy using the large, sturdy pull tabs to make the animals chomp and nibble. With fun rhymes and a slew of really expressive animal characters, this book, along with the other two board books in the series, Sniff! and Lick!, have become favorites in our household.

By Matthew Van Fleet,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Munch! as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 2, 3, 4, and 5.

What is this book about?

From the #1 New York Times bestselling children’s book creator Matthew Van Fleet.

Mouthfuls of Fun for Toddlers in an adorable format perfect for little hands!

Four sturdy pull tabs and four touchable textures animate the madcap antics as a cast of frolicking critters shows toddlers that mouths aren’t just for eating!


Book cover of Find Fergus

Abi Cushman Why did I love this book?

Poor Fergus is no good at hiding. In this funny seek-and-find book, Fergus, a big brown bear with glasses, gets tips from the narrator on how to get better at hiding. As the story goes on, Fergus starts to blend in better with the crowds, and it gets trickier and trickier to spot him. It’s a great read-aloud, and kids will find it hilarious how bad he is at hiding at first. But they’ll need to use their eagle eyes when all the fun characters from the book come together in a big crowd at the end.

By Mike Boldt,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Find Fergus as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Play the funniest game of hide and seek ever with Fergus, a bear who's very, very bad at hiding.

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…


Book cover of Bunny Slopes

Abi Cushman Why did I love this book?

This book encourages readers to turn, flip, and shake this book to help a bunny ski down a hill. Toddlers will love being able to “control” what happens in the story as the bunny gets covered in snow, crashes in a tree, and falls into a hole. There’s even an actual hole in the pages to match the hole in the illustrations. It’s a fun, interactive book sure to become a storytime favorite.

By Claudia Rueda,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Bunny Slopes as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Time to tackle the bunny slope! Shake to help Bunny make it snow, tilt to help Bunny ski down the slope, and turn to help Bunny escape a cliff in his path. Is there any obstacle Bunny can't conquer? Bringing grins and guffaws with each turn of the page, readers will find Claudia Rueda's innovative bookmaking as entertaining as the twists and turns of a ski slope-and as satisfying as a cozy cup of hot cocoa.


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Thorn City

By Pamela Statz,

Book cover of Thorn City

Pamela Statz

New book alert!

What is my book about?

Dressed to kill and ready to make rent, best friends Lisa and Jamie work as “paid to party” girls at the Rose City Ripe for Disruption gala, a gathering of Portland's elite.

Their evening is derailed when Lisa stumbles across Ellen, a ruthless politician and Lisa’s estranged mother. And to make matters worse, Lisa’s boyfriend, Patrick, crashes the party to meet his new boss, Portland's food cart drug kingpin. Lisa makes a fateful choice that traps her, Jamie, and Patrick in Ellen’s web. In this gripping thriller, Lisa must reconcile a painful past and perilous present.

Thorn City

By Pamela Statz,

What is this book about?

Suspected murder, eclectic food trucks, and artisanal cocaine: just another day in Thorn City.

It’s the night of the Rose City Ripe for Disruption gala—a gathering of Portland’s elite. Dressed to kill in sparkling minidresses, best friends Lisa and Jamie attend as “paid to party” girls. They plan an evening of fake flirtations, karaoke playlists, and of course, grazing the catering.

Past and present collide when Lisa stumbles across Ellen, a ruthless politician who also happens to be Lisa’s estranged mother. Awkward . . . When Lisa was sixteen, Ellen had her kidnapped and taken to the Lost Lake Academy—a…


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