“Interactive” is one of those words that can hide a fairly important difference. Sometimes there really is something to touch in the book. Sometimes you're pressing a printed picture and turning the page to imagine what happens next. We'd want to know which kind we were bringing home, especially if the whole point of the gift was a texture to feel.
Something you can actually touch
In Hey! What's That?, the reader guesses an animal by touching a feature through an opening in the page. The physical feature is part of the object, so the book offers a different experience from an ordinary printed illustration.
Belly Button Book! has a die-cut cover. That's another physical detail, though it isn't the same thing as a set of different textures. The 24-page English board-book edition pairs that cover with Boynton's hippos and their enthusiasm for belly buttons.
Look at the actual edition's photographs when choosing a tactile book, and follow the publisher's age and use guidance. Attached features are also something to keep an eye on as the book is used.
A color change made by a page turn
Hervé Tullet's Mix It Up uses printed prompts to invite the reader into an imagined color-mixing activity. The participation comes from the person holding the book; there isn't real paint included in the pages.
That makes it an interesting option when you'd like to spend time with color but aren't setting up an art table. An adult can demonstrate a prompt, then turn the page to see the next image. On another reading, leave a pause for someone else to take a turn, point or watch.
If the story does lead to an interest in paint, our Mix It Up color activity gives that next project its own supplies and workspace. Keeping the book and the wet activity separate also means the copy stays ready to read again.
Think about where the book will be shared
For one adult and one child, you can slow down around a particular opening or texture. With a group, hold the page where everyone can see and think about whether taking turns with a physical feature will suit the moment. A printed prompt can be demonstrated from the front; a texture is something each person would have to reach.
If it's going into a reading bag, compare the dimensions and any attached or projecting parts. Mix It Up is published in different editions, so confirm the binding of the copy you're buying rather than relying on another edition you've seen elsewhere.
Our board, lap and bath-book guide looks at those physical choices more broadly. Here, we'd begin with the interaction itself: a texture under a fingertip, a peek through an opening, or the small anticipation of turning a page to see what changed.
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