Press Here
Press Here by Herve Tullet takes about 2.5 minutes to read aloud (252 words, about 1 sentence a page), and it lands best with children aged 2-5.
Measured read-aloud timeabout 2.5 minutes
- Words
- 252our estimate, not a published count
- Sentences a page
- 1
- Re-read tolerance
- 5/5still fine on the fortieth reading
- Vocabulary
- 2/5everyday words
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The useful verdict
Why Press Here works
The book gives instructions - press the yellow dot, tilt the page, blow - and the next spread shows what 'happened', so paper behaves like a touchscreen with none of the screen. It is the best swap in this set for a child asking for a phone.
Themes: colours, cause and effect, interactive, imagination.
Same shape, new story
Books like Press Here
Matched by length, refrain, sentence density, and listener—not just subject.
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!about 1.5 minutes · 5/5 re-read
The Very Hungry Caterpillarabout 2 minutes · 5/5 re-read
Pat the Bunnyabout 1 minute · 4/5 re-read
If You Give a Mouse a Cookieabout 2.5 minutes · 5/5 re-read
Dragons Love Tacosabout 4.5 minutes · 5/5 re-read
We're Going on a Bear Huntabout 3.5 minutes · 5/5 re-read
Go Away, Big Green Monster!about 1 minute · 5/5 re-read
We Are in a Book!about 2.5 minutes · 5/5 re-read
From Head to Toeabout 2 minutes · 5/5 re-read
Straight answers
Questions parents ask about Press Here
- How long does it take to read Press Here aloud?
- About 2.5 minutes at an unhurried pace, from a word count of 252. Reading it fast shaves perhaps a third off; stopping for questions on every page can double it.
- What age is Press Here actually for?
- Ages 2-5 in our testing, which is narrower than the publisher's range. With 1 sentence a page and vocabulary at 2 out of 5, it asks for that much attention span and no more.
- Does Press Here 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 Press Here a good book for a child who will not sit still?
- It helps that 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.