Usborne Touch and Feel Books

Textured Reading Fun

• What: Usborne Touchy Feely Books
• When: Ages three months and up
• Why: Super durable, cute, affordable, appealing
• Where: Amazon

My kids are mostly past the touch and feel books stage, but I still can’t get enough of these adorable books from Usborne. I’ve written about my love affair with Usborne before (I do not sell the books myself, though with as many as we own, I probably should’ve considered it), but somehow neglected to call attention to the fabulous Touch and Feel series.

I’ve been reading these books to young kids for 15 years or more, and I still love them. So does everyone else, because they have a much wider range of subjects available. Each title proceeds with the same story. The cover and all other page spreads with the exception of the last one proclaim “That’s Not My Puppy” where you can replace the word “puppy” with kitten, plane, train, reindeer, and just about any other object of a small child’s desire. The book then goes on to detail the reason it couldn’t be the correct item, because the “wheels are too smooth” or the “tongue is too rough.” The texture of the item called out for notice matches the context.

I will be keeping quite a few of our Usborne Touchy Feely books as keepsakes of my own. They hold up to repeated readings extremely well, and can be passed along to others if you can bear to part with them.

The series comes in a wide variety of animals and objects, including but not limited to: lambs, tractors, lions, elephants, pandas, elves, Santa, monkeys, snowmen, bunnies, hamsters, dinosaurs, unicorns, penguins, monsters, princes, angels, owls, ponies, frogs, mermaids, princesses, teddy bears, trucks, goats, pigs, dragons, robots, foxes, cars, cows, hedgehogs, badgers, fairies, polar bears, tigers, dolls pirates, donkeys, meercats, and bears. If that’s not enough to suit you, go look for yourself, because I’m sure they have more titles.

On the last page, the correct item appears with another texture to explore. All the books I’ve read have had great contrast in the touch and feel parts, from smooth to rough and everything in between. If you haven’t found the right touch and feel book for your child, give this series a whirl.