PEEKABOO PLANET

Prompted by questions, children are encouraged to find camouflaged animals.

A full-bleed illustration of a jungle spills onto its adjacent page. A tiger, a parrot, a blue frog, and an insect can be glimpsed among the exuberant foliage. The question “Who squawks and talks?” prompts children to explore the image and identify the animal that fits the description. When readers turn the page, the correct answer is revealed inside an illustrated circle accompanied by text: “Peekaboo Parrot!” Following this same plosive-popping format, five other animals are presented—a porcupine, a penguin, a panda, a porpoise, and a prairie dog—each in its corresponding habitat. The questions are short but vocabulary rich: “Who’s plump and pokey?” “Who waddles and slides?” “Who’s black, white, and chews bamboo?” “Who swims and splashes?” “Who burrows and barks?” The last spread, though sweet and appropriate for the target audience, is somewhat unrelated to the rest of book, both in subject and question, though the presentation format is the same. Hidden behind the foliage of potted houseplants, readers can glimpse a cat, a dog, a human baby, and two dark-haired, white, adult humans (presumably the child’s parents). The question here is: “Who loves their baby?” the answer: “Peekaboo People!”

A sweet introduction to wild animals that promotes observational skills.