Lift-the-Flap Magic in Where Is Baby’s Belly Button? by Karen Katz

Read, interact, learn, giggle, repeat. That recipe is exactly what you’ll get when you pick up a Karen Katz book. In one of the classic lift-the-flap books, Where Is Baby’s Belly Button?, Katz immerses the reader in the world of “baby.” Each baby hides a body part behind a piece of clothing designed as a flap to lift. There is so much happening in these books that makes them instant favorites for both younger and older toddlers.

Lift-the-flap books may look simple, but they pack a punch when it comes to learning. Where Is Baby’s Belly Button? takes peek-a-boo to new heights, inviting your child to search behind each flap to discover the body part underneath.

In this post, you’ll find four literacy activities related to Where Is Baby’s Belly Button? by Karen Katz. Created with young learners in mind, these activities are designed to deepen your child’s understanding of the text beyond just the words and illustrations, while also bringing you closer together, the building blocks of My Book Bud. The babies in this book will have you inferring, predicting, identifying body parts, and so much more. So snuggle your own baby close and lift-and-find a world of wonder on the pages of Where Is Baby’s Belly Button?

Where is Baby’s Belly Button?

Author and Illustrator: Karen Katz

Published by Little Simon, 2000

Summary: What does baby have tucked away under there? Lift the flaps to help baby discover what’s hidden behind each tab. This delightful book will help your toddler learn his or her body parts in a playful and engaging way.

I hope you and your child love the activities for the lift-the-flap book, Where Is Baby’s Belly Button? by Karen Katz. Be sure to explore my ideas for more of the best toddler books such as Where’s Spot? by Eric Hill.

Skills to Tackle with Lift-the-Flap Books (Where Is Baby’s Belly Button?)

Inference: Best for ages 18 months-3

Readers make inferences when they make an educated guess about something that is not directly stated in the text. This is done by combining background knowledge and text evidence to “read between the lines.”

We make inferences even when we are not reading, making it an important skill to master.

Inference Example:

You could make the inference that your child is cold and is ready to come out of the bath if they are wrinkly, shivering, and their lips are turning blue. Without having to tell you they need to come out because they are cold, you made the inference for them based on what you know about bathtime and the evidence in front of you.

Lift-the-flap books are a great way to practice inferencing because they are often basic. For toddlers, the more basic the book is, the more learning can actually take place without all of the extra “noise” more complex books include.

Look at the items that are hiding the baby’s body parts and ask your child to infer.

Example Conversation:

Parent: Hey, I noticed this baby is wearing a hat. Where do you think he is going?
Child: Maybe the park or the playground!
Parent: Oh, interesting. Why do you think they might be going to the playground?
- This follow up question is essential because it is where the inference is supported.
Child: Well, I usually wear my hat to the playground if it is sunny out so I don’t get sunburned.
- In this instance, your child used their background knowledge of where they typically wear hats and the evidence of the baby in the book wearing a hat to infer they are going to the park. It may not seem like it, but your child just did some very complex critical thinking.
Parent: Look, this baby is drinking out of a cup! What might this baby be doing? Oh, I know, she’s sleeping!
- Kids love to correct you. So if you make an inference that is completely wrong, they’ll be sure to correct you with an answer that makes more sense.
Child: No, the baby is eating lunch!
Parent: Ohhh, that makes more sense. How can you tell the baby is eating lunch?
Child: Well, she is sitting at the table and drinking out of her sippy cup. I do this when I am eating lunch with you at home.

Continue this conversation throughout the rest of Where is Baby’s Belly Button? When an activity is challenging for youngsters, adding humor always helps break the tension.

Don’t worry about your child getting “answers” correctly. The idea behind these activities is to introduce literacy skills while bonding with your child. The moment either of you starts to feel upset or tense, abort the mission and try again another time. Supporting them through these conversations is way, way more important than making sure they get an answer “correct.”

Three babies to represent "baby" in the lift-the-flap book Where Is Baby's Belly Button? by Karen Katz.

Print Concepts: Best for ages 2-4

Print concepts introduce how a book “works” to a child. This includes the different parts of the book, the direction a book is read in, the words, and the pictures.

This is a very short and simple lift-the-flap book, making it the perfect text to have your child practice print concepts. Read the book through with no interruptions at least once. Then, start talking about the print concepts with your child. Show him or her the cover page, title, and cover picture. Point to each word as you read so he or she sees you reading from left to right. Emphasize when the words on the page directly correspond with the illustrations.

After reading a few times, ask your child to “read” it to you. Watch to see if he or she can hold the book upright and start with the cover page. Notice if your child can turn the pages correctly and point out illustrations. My two-year-old loves the belly button page, so any time she is “reading,” she screams “beyeh buthon” when she gets to that page. Your child may even surprise you and point to a word or two that he or she specifically remembers you reading.

If your child is a bit older, you can introduce print concept words such as: title, author, illustration, front, back, left, right, top, bottom, etc. You can help your child deepen their understanding of the words by having a simple conversation with them.

Example Conversation:

Parent: Where is the front of the book?
- Give your child time to point it out. If they need help, guide them to the front.
Parent: Oh, yeah! What do you see on the front?
Child: I see a baby holding his shirt up.
Parent: Silly baby! That picture is called an illustration. An illustration is a drawing that goes in a book. I also see words! Here it says, “Where is Baby’s Belly Button?” That is the title of the book. Every book has a title that goes on the front!
Parent: I also see the name Karen Katz. She is the author of the book. An author writes books! Isn’t that a cool job?
Parent: Can you turn the page?

Watch to see if your child can turn the pages the right way. You want them to understand that the pages go in a specific order. If they open to the middle of the book, guide them back to the first page.

Body Parts: Best for ages 12 months – 3 years

Learning body parts is one of the earliest ways toddlers begin to understand themselves and how their bodies work. Where Is Baby’s Belly Button? is ideal for this because it pairs clear illustrations with playful repetition and physical interaction in this lift-the-flap book.

As you read, pause at each page before you lift-the-flap and invite your child to name the body part they think is hiding underneath. Then, once it’s revealed, help them connect it back to their own body.

Example Conversation:

Parent: Look, this baby is wearing shoes. What body part do you think is hiding under there?
Child: Feet!
Parent: Let’s check! You’re right, feet! Where are your feet? Can you wiggle them?

Encourage your child to touch or move the matching body part on themselves after each reveal. This physical connection helps reinforce vocabulary and supports body awareness.

Expand the conversation:

You can expand on the conversation above by asking what each body part does. Then switch it around. Instead of naming the body part, describe what it does and see if your child can guess which body part you’re talking about. If your child is really getting it, have them ask you the questions . This is a bigger challenge as they have to think about each body part and their function. It also allows them to be in charge and have some fun! Below are some example questions for this expansion activity.

What do we use our hands for?
What helps us walk and run?
What does our nose help us do?
What helps us see?

Don’t forget to be silly as it will not only help you bond, but it will also make this feel less like learning. Once you establish the activity with questions like the ones above, ask some goofy questions like:

Which body part is stinky and smelly under our socks and shoes?
- Once they guess feet, take a whiff of their toes and give a big “pee yew!
Which body part helps us jump like a frog?
- Jump around like little froggies afterwards.
Do we smell with our elbows?
- This is a surefire way to get a laugh and hopefully a correction from your child. Then go around “sniffing” things with your elbows.

If your child isn’t ready to name the body part independently, that’s perfectly okay. Model the language instead:

This is the baby’s nose. I have a nose too! Can you touch your nose?

Repetition is key. Each reread strengthens your child’s confidence and understanding. Over time, you may notice your toddler anticipating the answers or naming body parts before you even ask.

This simple activity encourages so many amazing skills. Not only will your child be talking about their different body parts, but you will also be integrating the literacy skills of prediction and suspense. When you ask your child to think about what might be under each flap, you are asking to predict.

Prediction is when the reader is asked to think about what will happen next. This is an incredibly important skill as it requires the reader to use the clues in the text to think about what they will read next.

In this instance, your child will use the illustrations as clues to predict what body part they will see under each flap.

Suspense is when the author builds anticipation for the reader. It will give you that “edge of your seat” feeling.

In this story, suspense is built before the flap is lifted and the reader sees what is underneath.

You can really play this up with silliness when reading with your child. As they go to reach for each flap, you can quickly slam it down before they get to it and go, “Wait, wait, wait!! What if there’s something scary under there?!” That’ll make your child crack up and they’ll be happy to correct you that there’s nothing scary under the flap. This simple act can help to drive home suspense and create a small bonding moment that brings you closer together.

Identifying body parts is such an exciting milestone! Using a lift-the-flap book like Where is Baby’s Belly Button? can assist your child with this milestone with visuals and hands-on elements.

Body parts to represent the element of identifying body parts. in the lift-the-flap book, Where Is Baby's Belly Button? by Karen Katz.

Free Printable!

Use the free printable linked below to color by body part! Use the key attached to find out which color to use for each body part! Make sure to name and discuss the body parts as you color.

Color by Body Part!

Expansion Activity: Best for ages 2.5-4

Bring this lift-the-flap book to life! Hide different parts of your body under various items of clothing and help your child discover what’s hidden.

To make the connection to the book even stronger, use the same or similar props in the book to hide the different body parts. Look around the house for a hat, a sippy cup, a shirt, a cat (or any stuffed animal), a washcloth (instead of bubbles), and a blanket.

Hide your different body parts behind the respective items just like in the book:

Hat → eyes
Sippy cup → mouth
Shirt → belly button
Cat (stuffed animal) → feet
Washcloth → hands
Blanket → whole self

Switch it up by hiding different body parts that aren’t talked about in the book with the same objects or other objects around the house.

An easy way to extend this game further is to encourage question asking during the activity. For example, if you are wearing winter gloves on your hands, you can ask things like,

What is hiding beneath my gloves?
When do you wear winter gloves?
Why do we wear them during the winter and not in the summer?
Who wears winter gloves?
Do animals need gloves too?

These questions will expand the activity beyond just identifying body parts. Your child will now be required to think about the function of each part of the body.

Reverse the roles so that your child is the one hiding something and asking the questions. This activity not only works on identifying different parts of the body, but also takes it a step further by adding in inferential questions.

A hat, shirt, and sippy cup to represent the items hiding the baby's body part in the lift-the-flap book, Where Is Baby's Belly Button? by Karen Katz.

To Wrap Things Up:

Lift-the-flap books such as Where is Baby’s Belly Button? by Karen Katz will draw your child into the story in a unique way. The flaps will captivate them and have them eager to return again and again. You and your child will make lasting memories one flap at a time. So, go on! Lift, flap, and giggle.

Join and connect! Learn how to “water” your growing book bud with connection. For tips and ideas sent straight to your inbox, just add your email below.