That's Not My Puppy...
A teacher’s look at why this book belongs in the Lap Listeners stage.
Why it fits Lap Listeners (for babies in their first year, when books are about your voice, not the plot)
Every spread offers a new texture and the same satisfying refrain. The predictable structure plus tactile payoff is exactly how infants learn to expect and explore. Any title in the series works; the formula is the genius.
What makes it special
The Usborne formula — one refrain, one texture, one visual joke per page — is engineering disguised as simplicity. The bold, high-contrast illustrations with their patch of touchable texture teach cause, effect, and vocabulary in a single gesture. It's tactile media for the tactile creature a baby actually is, no battery required.
About Fiona Watt
Fiona Watt is editorial director at Usborne Publishing and the writer of the That's Not My... touchy-feely board books, illustrated by Rachel Wells. The series began with That's Not My Puppy... in 1999 and had 72 titles as of July 2022.
Also by this author: That's Not My Bunny... · That's Not My Bear... · Baby’s Very First Play Book
More from “Touch, Pat, Peek”
This book is part of The Best Books for Babies: 30 Teacher Picks (Lap Listeners) in our guide The Best Children’s Books by Age — 120 books chosen by the Montessori-certified teachers at Creative Minds Montessori in Frisco, TX. Come see how we build readers →
Nobody paid for this review — not the author, not the publisher — and the store link above earns us nothing. Our only interest is the reader this book fits.