When I had my first daughter, I was scared to check out paper books at the library because I was afraid she would destroy them. After all, she once ate part of a student’s paper while I was multi-tasking and turned my back to the stack of graded papers on the table! So for a long time, I only checked out board books. In the process, I’ve found lots of fantastic board books to recommend.

Here is a list of 5 interactive board books that allow curious, active and energetic babies to engage with learning and reading without damaging the book. For those of you with babies/toddlers who have difficulty settling down to listen to you read aloud, these are a good starting place to get your child interested.

Best Ages: 0-3 years

1. What Noise Does a Cow Make? by Nick Ackland

Children learn the noises that farm animals make with fun pull-outs on each page. Colorful and cute!

2. Bizzy Bear Zookeeper by Benji Davies

Follow Bizzy Bear around the zoo as he takes care of the animals. My preschooler and two-year old both loved the unique finger-shaped levers and slides provide fun for young children.

3. Whose Truck? by Toni Buzzeo

This is a wonderful rhyming book with page pull-outs that has some unusual trucks. I definitely recommend this book for any child who is interested in trucks or vehicles and even recommend it for older preschoolers.

4. Rhymoceros by Janik Coat

What a creative idea to use a rhino on each page to illustrate the rhyming words in this book! Many of the illustrations are touch-and-feel. My kids love the “gold” page, while I’m torn between loving “moss” and “quilted” the best. Very unique!

5. Vehicles by Xavier Deneux

Since first stumbling across these books at the library over 3 years ago, I have enjoyed the Touch Think Learn board books. My two-year old loves this particular book in the series, and I like the text. It names each vehicle and words and verbs associated with that vehicle.