Interactive children's books are a subset of children's books that require participation and interaction by the reader. Participation can range from books with texture to those with special devices used to help teach children certain tools. Interactive children's books may also incorporate modern technology or be computerized. Movable books, a subsection of interactive books, are defined as "covering pop-ups, transformations, tunnel books, volvelles, flaps, pull-tabs, pop-outs, pull-downs, and more, each of which performs in a different manner. Also included, because they employ the same techniques, are three-dimensional greeting cards."
Volvelles
The earliest form of interactive books are thought to be volvelles, a type of movable book with a wheel, which at the time was used to help display astrological and geographical maps. Volvelles were a type of early paper calculators that were designed in a form of a circle layered over each other and tied together with a string in order to spin.
Coloring books
The coloring book promotes motor skills, development, and eye-hand coordination in early childhood.
Gamebooks
Gamebooks are much like traditional books but require the reader to make decisions throughout the book that affect the outcome of the story. At each decision point, the reader is instructed to go to a particular page and/or paragraph to continue the story. The first gamebook debuted in 1941. The format was especially popular in the 1980s.
Hidden object and picture books
Hidden object picture books engage readers of all ages by camouflaging items with the intention of children eventually finding them. Whether the hidden object is a hard-to-spot character or an item specified by the author in a rhyming list, is subject to the book or possibly the series of books it belongs to. Although it is not standard, these types of interactive children's books are sometimes published with a common theme such as Christmas or life on the farm. Children can interactively experience a selective number of these books as early as age four and beginning at a pre-kindergarten grade level, depending on how easily the hidden objectives can be located. There are several notable authors and illustrators at the frontline assisting their audiences’ development of interactive reading skills in hidden object picture books:
Martin Handford Where’s Wally? British illustrator Martin Handford is credited with the conception of the Where's Wally? series. Despite the series christened title, his hidden picture books are more recognizable under the North American franchise's version of the character, Waldo. The purpose of Handford's hidden object picture books is for children of all ages to identify Wally in a specified location throughout his “world-wide hike.” Although various activities and outfit similarities easily camouflage the character's whereabouts, Wally always wears glasses and carries a walking stick and is famous for his outfit of a red and white horizontally striped shirt, blue trousers and a bobble hat.
The first book in Handford's series, originally titled Where's Wally?, was published in 1987. The book was soon followed by the release of Where's Wally Now? (1988) and Where's Wally?: The Fantastic Journey (1989). The books became extremely popular and were translated into many languages. The trademark of Wally was adopted in 28 countries and the character is often given a different name and personality in the translations.
As more books were released the cast of characters grew as well - including Wizard Whitebeard, Wilma, Wenda, Woof, Odlaw and the Waldo Watchers. More Waldo books followed - such as Where's Waldo in Hollywood?, Where's Waldo?: The Wonder Book (1997), Where's Waldo?: The Great Picture Hunt (2006).
Waldo became a huge pop culture sensation in the early 1990s. The United States, in particular, was swept with "Waldo-mania". Aside from the adaptations of Handford's books, the franchises grew to include licensing of Waldo for video games, spin-off books, magazines, dolls, toys, comics and a Where's Waldo? (TV series).
Wally has his own website where he dispatches messages to fans and invites them to join in on the chase through different social networks.
Jean Marzollo and Walter Wick I Spy
I Spy is another interactive children's book series that can be categorized as a hidden object picture book. Debuting in 1992, the books consist of texts written by Jean Marzollo regarding items hidden within the photographs captured by Walter Wick.