Learning how to tie your own shoelace, like your very first day of school or losing your first tooth, is one of those childhood milestones most people can actually remember. It's something of a rite of passage for preschoolers, a major first step in feeling independent. And yet, oddly enough, in these days of Velcro and slip-on sneakers, it is actually becoming harder and harder for children to get the practice time they need in order to learn this very basic life skill. Enter Lynn Brunelle, herself the mother of two sons of "shoelace-tying" age, to help parents and kids with this adorable, very practical, completely interactive book.Ingeniously designed, it is a double-weight board book in the shape of a sneaker that comes with different-colored shoelaces on every page. There are also holes on every page, so children can practice tying shoelaces and lacing their shoes over and over again as they go through the book. The text is fun and lighthearted, inviting children to help the zoo animals tie their shoelaces on every spread, and the illustrations are truly delightful. Even without the holes and shoelaces, the book would work beautifully as a read aloud picture book.

But, of course, what makes this book completely unique is that it functions as a learning tool, and gives kids ample opportunity to practice, practice, and practice some more.