Review: Usborne Touchy-Feely Books

Are you looking for a good book your baby or toddler will enjoy? Board books from the Fiona Watt's Touchy-Feely series, "That's Not My..." are sure to enthrall your little one. Read on to learn about this fun series for babies and toddlers, including positive and negative aspects of the series.

Books and Pages. These books are written by Fiona Watt and illustrated by Rachel Wells. The actual cover and pages of the "That's Not My" series of board books are very sturdy and can stand up to any amount of drool a baby and slobber, or any amount of teething a toddler can do on the corner. The pages are sturdy - just the right size for a baby learning how to turn the pages. The front cover and the inside of the front and back covers continue the story, including touchy feely places. Your child doesn't have to turn past a page of credits and publication information to get to the story and pictures. All this information is on the back of book. The cover is also slightly padded, making for extra comfort to your teething baby's jaws.

Story and Vocabulary. The stories in the "That's Not My" series books are quite simple. The first few pages read "That's not my _____! Her _____ is too _____." On the last page, you find the correct one. "THAT's my _____! Her _____ is so _____." Fill in the blanks with whatever the book is about and some fun adjectives. The repetitive lines and the general theme of No, No, No, Yes! will enthrall a toddler.

The adjectives used in the books tend to be a bit silly and even made up (bobbly?), but kids love silly-sounding words. While "velvety" probably wasn't on your list of words to teach your baby, these books can still be a vocabulary building experience.

One complaint I've heard about these books is that they can be gender specific. If you want a book that doesn't say "she," don't get That's Not My Princess. Buy That's Not My Dragon instead; the dragon is described using "it."

Many of the titles in the "That's Not My" series, such as That's Not My Train and That's Not My Monster are available in Spanish and French. This is wonderful not only for children who speak those languages, but if you'd like to give your child a bilingual nudge.

Touchy Feelys and Pictures. One of the great things about the touchy feely spots in the "That's Not My" books is that they are easy to identify. A very young baby can quickly learn where they should be feeling to learn a new texture. Also, there are no wasted pages, with a feely even on the front cover. Some of the textures are repeated throughout the series, but with such a variety of books, that isn't surprising, and they are often described using different adjectives. The textured patches are snugly fit in the pages, another sign of how well-made the books are. Even textures such as "fluffy" and "tufty" are not vulnerable to yanking fingers, unlike touchy feelys in cheaper board books. My main complaint about the feelys is that "shiny" is not a texture.

The art in the books is quite simple, ideal for very young babies. The drawings are bright and colorful. There is a hidden mouse on each page is fun for kids who are a bit older to find. By the time your child can "point to the mouse" he or she will be able to find it.

The "That's Not My" series of touchy feely board books consists of very well-made books in varied titles that would be enjoyable to babies from birth to 2 years. Titles include people (mermaid, princess, pirate, fairy), animals and creatures (lion, puppy, monster, bear, dinosaur, dragon, pony, kitten, penguin, snowman, reindeer), and toys and other objects (car, tractor, train, teddy, robot, dolly). Whatever your child's interest or favorite toy, there is sure to be a "That's Not My" book to match. The board books in the Usborne "That's Not My" series cost about $7.99. This is a reasonable and average price for a well-made board book with touchy-feely spots.