Turn the Key: Around the World — Julie Merberg

This chunky book comes with an actual key that little ones about 9 months old and up can use to unlock doors to different types of homes around the world. Behind each door, they will see how children live and play in faraway places.

Grasping and manipulating the attached key builds fine motor coordination, as children get a colorful glimpse of family life in other corners of the world -- from a nomadic home in Siberia to a bamboo house raised up on stilts in Bangladesh to a houseboat in the Netherlands. Vivid photos illustrate these distant places, and simple, lively text offers interesting details (and new vocabulary!) about everyday life. Kids enjoy unlocking the sturdy doors so much they will want to read this book again and again.