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Feel the Love! 5 Great Touch & Feel Books for Babies

Photo by Per Swantesson / Stocksy United / 1209754
Photo by Per Swantesson / Stocksy United

By Rachel Ward

Babies are always grabbing, holding, and rubbing everything they can—and why not? All those everyday textures and sensations are brand new to infants and help them learn about the world around them. That’s why touch and feel books are so great: Our youngest readers are gaining an intro to books and discovering something new to pat, rub, crinkle, and squish on every page. (And hey, most touch and feel books are board books, so they’re pretty impervious to little hands and baby drool—bonus!) We’ve found five awesome touch and feel books that will help build those important connections in your baby’s brain and touch both your lives.

Touch and Feel Dinosaurs cover
Copyright © 2002, 2012 by Dorling Kindersley Limited. Used by permission of DK Publishing.

1. Touch and Feel: Dinosaur by DK Publishing

Introduce your child to his soon-to-be favorite extinct critter: the dinosaur! Your future archaeologist will meet different dinos while exploring a new texture with each one, like a Stegosaurus’ rough back and the T-Rex’s sticky tongue.

touch and feel colors cover
Copyright © 2012 by Parragon Books Ltd. Used by permission of Parragon Books.

2. Touch and Feel: Colors by Parragon Books

Colors take a starring role in this sturdy board book, with a different texture paired to each color—from a rough sandpaper blue kite to a satiny-smooth green leaf! A must for all future artistes.

Animal Kisses cover
Copyright © 2000 by Barney Saltzberg. Used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

3. Animal Kisses by Barney Saltzberg

Time to meet man’s best friend(s)! Each page features a different animal just waiting for a big old smooch, from a dog with a sticky tongue to a velvety soft bear kiss (there’s even a squeaky pig kiss that we just love).

Numbers Numeros cover
Copyright © 2008 by St. Martin's Press, LLC. Used by permission of Priddy Books, an imprint of Macmillan Publishers.

4. Numbers/Números by Roger Priddy

Priddy’s bilingual board book introduces babies to numbers, two languages, and awesome textures like a leathery soccer ball and soft doggy fur—an educational triple whammy!

Touch and Explore the Ocean cover
Copyright © 2010, 2014 by Editions Milan. Used by permission of Twirl Books, an imprint of Chronicle Books.

5. The Ocean (Touch and Explore) by Stéphanie Babin

This board book’s vivid illustrations will make you and your little one feel like you’re truly under the sea! With wonderful sensory experiences (like rubbing a dolphin’s smooth back and a turtle’s hard shell) and several fun facts about our underwater friends scattered throughout, this one makes a great interactive readaloud.

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