Press Here - The Interactive Book For Children

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Press Here by Hervé Tullet cover page
Press Here by Hervé Tullet

Look no more.

You don't have to listen to me.

Let me describe to you what my five-year old twins think.

I've never seen such enormous smiles on their cute little faces.

I've never seen such unbridled excitement over a book.

My twins never jump around in their seats while I read a book - like they do for this one.

They giggle like crazy.

They can forget their petty little rivalries that poisoned the atmosphere just a minute ago.

Yes, that is the ultimate recommendation for a children's book. 

And be prepared, this isn't a standard children's book.

Standard is average. And average is boring.

This is Great.

French children's book author Hervé Tullet respects children so much that created this book by thinking out of the box.

This book is 100% designed for the young reader and listener.

This is what THEY want.

He respects the intellect and the energy of children so much that he provided them with the perfect book.

PRESS HERE (BUT NO PRESSURE...)


       Laughter is the valve on the pressure cooker of life. 
       Wavy Gravy 

Are children's books really fun?

Unfortunately, many kids would say they are boooooooring. My kids also look down on some books as dull.

That's normal.
Press down really hard on all the yellow dots
Press down really hard on all the yellow dots

It just mean that children have the power of discrimination and they have personal preferences.

Also, not every children's book is for any age.

But there are other factors at play too.

Let's be frank, do our kids like electronic games and apps more?

It is important to know who is competing for our children's attention, if we want to get kids interested in books.

When children reach Facebook-age it is too late to start promoting reading.

Always keep in mind, we are the underdog here. Parents are fighting an uphill battle.

And the best tool we have at our disposal is fun.

Nothing works its magic better on children than ... magic.
Tilt the page to the left
Tilt the page to the left

And if there ever was a book that I would recommend to parents of young children as an example of pure distilled fun, it would be this one. \

What is all about?

Hervé Tullet's Press Here asks the reader to perform an action on each page (pressing a dot, shaking the book, tiltin the book) ... and on the next page a seemingly logical outcome is shown.

Press a yellow dot and you get a second yellow dot on the next page.

Rub a yellow dot gently on a page, on the next one it changes into a red dot.

Tap a dot five times and you get five similarly colored dots on the next page.

Press down hard on all the yellow dots and voilà .. the lights turn off (background goes black).

This is real interactivity in the eyes of kids.

An electronic book without the electronics.

A book with a screen, but sans the screen or the batteries.

Reading Aloud With Style

       Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.
       Vincent Van Gogh 

I ordered this book on a whim. 

Reading book reviews and comments and blog posts, I couldn't help but notice the unanimous praise that it was attracting.

Try blowing on the dots
Try blowing on the dots
What really worried me was about a book like this - was it going to be a one-trick pony?

Lots of dots on empty pages?

Dots, dots, dots...

I mean... really?

This sounded like a recipe for disaster.

A book that works its magic only once.

The worst kind of children's books for me is the one that you read once, it is fun ... and then it collects dust on the bookshelf. \

Press Here sounded like it had the potential to be one of such books. Fun to read once and ... boooooring afterwards.

Mini Press Here from Chronicle Books
Mini Press Here from Chronicle Books
So I gambled. I ordered the book ... and I am delighted to tell you that is as fresh and interesting today as it was the first time we read it.

That's the mark of a great children's book.

My kids adore it and would like to read it more often than we do.

I am still afraid that they will get bored of it. Without any reason.

This is not a one-hit wonder.

I just realized today that Press Here is a book that will last a whole Childhood!

Because it has no batteries.

Oh, and if you want to make your own mini Press Here book at home with some other activities... well, just click here for the PDF!

This is a book that you will love to press on - together with your kids.   

Enjoy! 






Press Here is available from bookstores in the US:

Amazon USA


and other countries:

The Book Depository (offers free worldwide shipping)

Amazon UK
Amazon CA
Amazon DE








6 comments:

  1. Press Here is one of my favorite children's books! I'm glad to see that someone else likes it as much as I do.

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  2. Hi Andrea,

    So glad to hear that you enjoyed it too!

    I try to share those books that changed our lives on this blog.

    This is certainly one of them. It widened my horizons about what a children's book can look like.

    I can only imagine how it surprised my kids!

    Read Aloud Dad

    Re: @disqus_MEFOB93Yxl:disqus

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  3. Hi PragmaticMom,

    You are such a KidLit aficionado!

    I am so in awe of your enthusiasm!


    It shines like a bright light on all of us!

    A big hug from

    Read Aloud Dad


    Re: @twitter-100818788:disqus

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  4. Thanks for reviewing this. I knew immediately my son would love it and he did. He also spent most of the rest of the day creating his own press here books (exploding dots and all!) Keep it up!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Kat,


    Thanks so much for letting me know that your son enjoyed it! That is so cool!


    Your son sounds extra creative - exploding dots (wow!).


    Word of mouth .. isn't it fab! In the 21st century it is working stronger than ever before.


    Anytime you have a great book recommendation, please let me know!


    A big hug from


    Read Aloud Dad


    Re: @36fc0f3402a0fd95e462b20ed63e5399:disqus

    ReplyDelete