Melissa & Doug has the perfect recipe for reading time. The toymaker teamed up with Penguin Young Readers to create a collection of interactive board books with purposeful play baked into every page.
Publishing Oct. 13, the inaugural lineup includes three titles for readers ages 2-5, each blending Melissa & Doug’s iconic toys with hands-on learning. Whether they’re lifting flaps, searching for toys, or chefing up their own stories, these books encourage preschoolers‘ curiosity, confidence, and critical-thinking skills while fostering a lifelong love of reading. Families can preorder the Melissa & Doug board books now, with more titles slated to drop in 2027.
Cook up kitchen adventures with this cookbook. | Source: Penguin Young Readers
This pretend cookbook features recipies for kids' toy kitchens. | Source: Penguin Young Readers
Chef up kooky creations, like shoestring spaghetti! | Source: Penguin Young Readers
Search for iconic Melissa & Doug toys with this board book. | Source: Penguin Young Readers
Preschoolers can practice their matching and critical thinking skills. | Source: Penguin Young Readers
How many Melissa & Doug toys are hidden in this scene? | Source: Penguin Young Readers
This board book reimagines Melissa & Doug's wooden blocks as a lift-the-flap adventure. | Source: Penguin Young Readers
Each page encourages kids to explore with curiosity and confidence. | Source: Penguin Young Readers
Choo choo! | Source: Penguin Young Readers
Leading the collection is The Toy Kitchen Cookbook, an innovative board book created with award-winning chef Sohui Kim. Designed for use with toy food, the hardcover title features 16 pretend recipes that help young chefs practice sequencing, matching, and creative thinking skills as they cook up each kooky creation. The lineup also includes a search-and-find adventure starring Melissa & Doug toys and a lift-the-flap book inspired by the brand’s classic wooden blocks.
Families can officially add the books to their little library beginning Oct. 13, but you can secure these stories ahead of time by preordering at the links below.
MELISSA & DOUG: THE TOY KITCHEN COOKBOOK
Created in partnership with award-winning chef Sohui Kim, this hardcover cookbook features 16 pretend recipes for toy food creations. As kids mix up each meal, they'll practice sequencing, matching, and creative thinking skills — all while having fun and exploring their imaginations.
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MELISSA & DOUG: PLAY ALL DAY: A SEARCH-AND-FIND BOOK
This board book challenges preschoolers to find all their favorite Melissa & Doug toys hidden in each scene, encouraging patience, focus, and critical thinking skills as they play.
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MELISSA & DOUG: WHAT DO YOU SEE?: A LIFT-THE-FLAP BLOCKS BOOK
Each page features oversized cutouts inspired by Melissa & Doug's iconic wooden blocks — but that's not all! Kids can flip each page to discover a massive block-build world hidden underneath, inspiring them to explore their curiosity with every creation.
