Tap the Magic Tree
A teacher’s look at why this book belongs in the Page Grabbers stage.
Why it fits Page Grabbers (for young toddlers who treat books as things to do)
Tap, rub, and blow a kiss to move a tree through the seasons. Each action visibly changes the next page - agency a toddler can feel. A gentle first science lesson about seasons, too.
What makes it special
Matheson's tree responds to taps, rubs, and blown kisses with visible seasonal change — cause and effect stretched across a whole year. The spare watercolor tree against white keeps the child's action as the only moving part. It slips a first lesson about patience and seasons into what feels like a magic trick.
From the publisher
The acclaimed interactive picture book about the changing seasons. “Like Hervé Tullet’s Press Here, Matheson’s Tap the Magic Tree proves you don’t need apps for interactivity,” praised the New York Times. This board…
About Christie Matheson
Christie Matheson writes interactive nature books where the reader's tap or breath appears to change the page — a gentle analog magic that has made Tap the Magic Tree a storytime staple. She writes for adults about sustainability too.
Also by this author: Touch the Brightest Star · Plant the Tiny Seed
More from “Books That Do Things”
This book is part of The Best Books for Toddlers: 30 Teacher Picks (Page Grabbers) 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.