Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
The classic song presented as a board book. With a baby modeling each body part, it acts as a naming book that gets a one-year-old touching their own knees.
Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes by Annie Kubler is estimated to take about 2.5 minutes to read aloud (60 words, about 1 sentence a page), and it lands best with children aged 0-3.
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- Estimated read-aloud time
- about 2.5 minutesEstimated read-aloud time
- Estimated word count
- 60Our estimate
- Sentences per page
- 1Sentence per page
- Re-read tolerance
- 5/5still good at forty
- Vocabulary level
- 1/5plain words
- Best for
- Ages 0-3Our editorial fit
Our review
This is a high-energy, interactive book that uses a familiar song to teach body parts. The physical movement of touching the parts mentioned keeps children engaged.
It is especially fun when the reader speeds up the pace on the final rounds. It’s a great way to practice listening and following directions through play.
Before you buy it
There are only four lines of text that repeat. Unless you are singing along to the tune, you'll find there is almost nothing here to read.
Themes
- nursery rhymes
- body parts
- actions
- singing
Books like Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
Matched by refrain, density, length, and listener—not just the subject.
Questions parents ask
How long does it take to read Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes aloud?
About 2.5 minutes at an unhurried pace, including a standard allowance for page turns, pictures and participation, from a word count of 60. Stopping for a longer conversation on every page will add more time.
What age is Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes actually for?
Ages 0-3 in our testing, which is narrower than the publisher's range. With 1 sentence a page and vocabulary at 1 out of 5, it asks for that much attention span and no more.
Does Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes survive being read on repeat?
Yes - this is one of the few that is still fine on the fortieth reading, which is why it scores 5 out of 5 with us.
Is Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes a good book for a child who will not sit still?
It helps that it rhymes, and it has a refrain a child can join in with, and it asks the child questions to answer out loud. Those three features are what keep a wriggling toddler listening, far more than the subject matter does.
Will my child memorise Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes?
Probably, and fast. The book leans on a repeated refrain, and at 5 out of 5 for re-read tolerance it survives the nightly repeats that get a book memorised. Expect your child to chant the pattern back before they can actually read.
Can a beginning reader read Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes on their own?
It is closer than most picture books. With 1 sentence a page and plain vocabulary (1 out of 5), a confident early reader can attempt it, though it is written to be read aloud first.
Is Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes part of a series?
Yes, it belongs to the Classic Books with Holes series. It stands on its own, so you can start here without reading the others in order, then move to the rest if it lands.
What themes does Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes cover?
We tag it with nursery rhymes, body parts, actions and singing. Those are the threads that actually run through the book, not just the ones on the cover, which is how it earns its place on our themed lists rather than a keyword match.
Lists Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes is on
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