Favorite touch and feel books for babies

There comes a time in most baby bookworms' literary journeys (sometime after they learn to turn pages and before lift the flap books?) when "touch and feel" board books warm their hearts. We certainly went through that stage around here, although perhaps with not quite as much passion as for the flap books. I think our bibliophile's approach to touch and feel books is that if he likes a book, he'll go for the textured parts, but if a book doesn't appeal to him, a bit of fake fur won't pull him in. Here are the touch and feel board books we've read most often and what we think of them:

Cloth Book Fluffy Chick (Touch and Feel Cloth Books), by Roger Priddy. This (and one other by the same author) were the only cloth books he liked much. The rhymes are cute, the cover is nicely crinkly, and the pages contain different tactile sensations, like a springy pigtail and a cushioned cow's nose.

Excerpt:

"When the duck is swimming in the lake, "quack, quack," is the sound she'll make."

Bookworm's interest at under 12 months: He'd sit and play with this one while I made lunch when he was an infant.

Parent's Peeve: Fluffy chick isn't actually in the book.

Fuzzy Bee and Friends (Cloth Books), by Roger Priddy. This (along with Fluffy Chick and Friends by the same author) were the only cloth books he liked much. The rhymes are cute, the cover is nicely crinkly, and the pages contain different tactile sensations, like a satiny butterfly and net-like dragonfly wings.

Excerpt:

"Don't be fooled by a scary name./The dragonfly is really tame."

Bookworm's interest at under 12 months: He liked all of this book.

Parent's Peeve: Fuzzy bee isn't actually in the book.

Curious George at the Zoo A Touch and Feel TV Board Book (A Touch and Feel Book) (Board book), by H. A. Rey. This cute book about George hiding in various places around the zoo (and the animals around him) is full of fun textures. He seems to enjoy locating little George on each page (hiding behind a plant or in a basket, etc.) even more than the textures, with the exception of the last page. This has been pretty consistently one of his favorites.

Bookworm's interest at under 12 months: The "bumpy basket" on the last page was extremely appealing for awhile.

I reviewed Dog once before. I'll paste that review here and just add that in addition to pull tabs, the book also contains a number of touch and feel furry sections (and an ever popular flap on the last page):

Dog (Hardcover), by Matthew van Fleet. This is a large, fun, sturdy board book full of photographs, touch and feel sections, and big tabs that are easily maneuvered by small fingers to make dogs' legs scratch, their tails wag, and their wet heads shake. It entertained a cranky toddler during an afternoon outing, and has been a hit since taking it home.

Excerpt:

"Bark dog, How dog, Sniff the tree./All dogs poop, and all dogs pee."

Bookworm's interest at 13 months: At first, he loved the dogs head that shakes with a tab. But, now the cat hidden under a flap at the end of the book is a bigger draw.

Touch and Feel: Farm (Board book), by DK Publishing. DK Publishing makes wonderful board book, and this touch and feel farm book is no exception. Textures include (among others) a soft chick, a woolly sheep, and a furry dog. Other versions include Wild Animals and Pets.

Excerpt:

"Tickle the dog's furry tummy."

Bookworm's interest at 12 months: He enjoys this one, although it's not a huge favorite.

Trucks (Usborne Touchy Feely) (Board book), by Fiona Watt. I picked this up at the library because our little guy's recent fascination with buses has caused everything from an actual bus to a UPS truck to an 18 wheeler to a minivan to be known as a "buh!" So I thought we needed to clarify the whole truck thing. I'm not sure we accomplished that goal, but he enjoyed Trucks. I like that each page has a few different tactile sections - like sand paper sand, shiny aluminum type truck bed (see cover), etc. - rather than just one.

Excerpt:

"This big truck has a shiny red door."

Bookworm's interest at 13 months: He is mildly interested in the whole book.

I struggle a bit with whether to post reviews of books we don't enjoy, because so often our little guy is just too young for the books we read him. So take these with a grain of salt and don't be afraid to give them a try if you find them appealing:

Touch the Art: Brush Mona Lisa's Hair (Board book), by Julie Appel. One of a series of four touch and feel books with famous art. The text accompanying the paintings in this one asks the reader to locate items -- a format that I thought would work well for our boy. The art includes interactive elements like a gold elastic on the hair of Botticelli's "Birth of Venus."

Excerpt:

"See the pretty girl. Look at her hair blowing in the wind. Snap her golden ribbon."

Bookworm's interest at 14 months: This failed to capture his attention.

Parent's Peeve: I hate to be critical, because I want to like these, but I'm just not that impressed with the language in any of the books in this series.

Touch the Art: Feed Matisse's Fish (Touch the Art) (Board book), by Julie Appel. One of four in a series of touch and feel books featuring famous artwork. I'm stretching to list this in "read" books, because we haven't really gotten through it. The language in this one doesn't attempt to rhyme. Instead it follows a time format, with a piece of art describing an activity every hour.

Excerpt:

"Tick-tock, 12 o'clock, it's time to eat our lunch. Tap the window - rat-tat-tat. What a busy day!" (next to Hopper's Chop Suey).

Bookworm's interest at 14 months: I love the idea of these books, but I can't get him to sit still for them. Maybe a lift the flap style would work better for us.

Touch the Art: Make Van Gogh's Bed (Board book), by Julie Appel. One of four books in a series of Touch and Feel books that feature famous artwork. Arguably, it has the best textures, which include a tutu on a Degas ballerina and flowers on a Monet painting. And the text rhymes, which isn't true of all of them.

Excerpt:

"It's dark outside. Stars are shining bright. Pulls up your covers and say good night!" (next to van Gogh's The Starry Night).

Bookworm's interest at 14 months: Overall, none of the four is very appealing to the little bibliophile, but this is the one of the four that he liked the most.

Touch the Art: Pop Warhol's Top (Touch the Art) (Board book), by Julie Appel. One of four in a series of Touch and Feel books featuring famous artwork. Like the others, this book doesn't keep his interest longer than a page or two. But they're a clever concept, so we'll try them again in a few months.

Bookworm's interest at 14 months: He seems to like the soup can cover, so maybe I should just get an Andy Warhol art book for him!

Parent's Peeve: I think the text on all of these could be a little better. Next to a photo of two cheeseburgers with everything (Claes Oldenburg), the text says "juicy, delicious, fun and nutritious." Nutritious? For a toddler? Then it goes on, "Can you pull the lettuce? Don't make any messes!" Kind of a rhyming stretch.

I will say that within a couple of days of reading those art books, our guy finally mastered how to hold a crayon and created a few masterpieces of his own. Coincidence?

Do your kids like touch and feel books? Did it wear off at some point? What are/were their favorites?