Sitting still may be the first, basic skill a child needs when learning to read. It’s even more basic than understanding letter sounds.

For kids with an inclination to move around, just sitting down can seem unnatural. But do kids always have to stay still in order to get through a book? Not necessarily. Here are some titles that are great for fidgety kids. These books encourage physical movement during the reading of the book.

1. From Head To Toe by Eric Carle

What kids don’t love to thump their chests like a gorilla? Or arch their backs like a cat and stomp their feet like an elephant? This classic book by the master author illustrator Eric Carle is like a literary game of Simon Says. Also: if you happen to be in the New England area, you can get your little readers up and out by taking a field trip to the Eric Carle museum.

2. Press Here by Herve Tullet

This book can be read while sitting still in a chair, but the book gets kids pressing, shaking and clapping so they’re moving around as they progress through the book. Many of Tullet’s books are interactive, so if you’ve got a kid with the wiggles, choose any book by this author.

3. Open Very Carefully A Book With Bite by Nick Bromley

In this meta-storybook, a big, scary crocodile co-opts a story of The Ugly Duckling. The narrator invites the reader to help him stop eating letters, words and sentences. Kids get to rock the book, spin it, and shake it. The typography is non-traditional, with slanted and curved lines. In the end, the crocodile escapes through a literal hole in the book.

4. Don’t Blink by Tom Booth

Blinking is moving, isn’t it? The book Don’t Blink by Tom Booth is one long staring contest. Can someone read a book without blinking? As the story proceeds, you can’t help paying attention to the muscles around your eyes… which probably are moving, just a little, even if you make it all the way through the pages with your eyes wide open.

5. Beautiful Oops by Barney Saltzberg

Beautiful Oops lets kids lift flaps and unfold corners. While any lift-the-flap book is inherently interactive, many of those books are designed for toddlers, not kids old enough to learn reading on their own. Beautiful Oops, on the other hand, is ideal for first, second and third graders. The message of this book also is heartening for kids who are so active they find themselves knocking over cups, disturbing papers, and making messes wherever they go.

6. The Worst Book Ever by Beth Bacon

I’m adding a sixth book to this list—my book, The Worst Book Ever. This is the story of a book that’s trying to get banned from the library. It prompts kids to stand up, make noise and shake their bodies… all in an attempt to get a librarian to put it on the Banned Books list. We grown-ups know that librarians love any kind of engagement with books, so the poor Worst Book never reaches its goal of being banned. The book, in fact, is loved and invited to story time. Just as kids can be loved even though they may tend to be a bit too active and exhibit “bad” behavior.

There’s a refrain that repeats throughout my first book, I Hate Reading. It goes like this:

“Eyes on book, butt on chair. Eyes on book, butt on chair.” That little catch phrase speaks to the fact that sitting—merely sitting—can be a chore for some kids.

Surely a basic step in learning to read is controlling a fidgety body. These books let kids be active in a controlled way during reading time. By offering them a kinesthetic outlet, these book meets them at their own level of comfort. When they’re functioning from their own level of comfort, kids can be more ready to learn.