Parents’ physically performative behaviors during shared book reading: A comparison of mothers and fathers

•Exploration of the quantity and type of physical behaviors demonstrated by mothers and fathers during shared book reading (SBR) with their preschool-aged children•Actor Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) was used to determine the relationship between quantity of parental physical behaviors during SBR and various aspects of SBR quality•Actor effects, but not partner effects, were found for the relationship between parental behaviors and parental affect•Mothers demonstrated more physical behaviors during SBR than did fathers, while fathers engaged in more interconnected physical contact with their children