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Baby and Toddler Book Review: Peepo!

Ahlberg, A. (1997). Peepo! (J. Ahlberg, Illus.). London, England: Puffin. (Original work published 1981). [Interactive Picture Book]

               If you are looking for a fun, readable book for babies that will be enjoyed for many years, then Peepo! by husband and wife team, Janet and Allan Ahlberg, is just the thing.  The story, which is told in rhyme, follows a baby boy through an ordinary day, from waking up in his cot, in his mum and dad’s bedroom, through to bath-time, and bedtime.  The lyrical rhyme makes it a perfect book for reading aloud, while the repeated phrases make it very appealing to babies and toddlers.

               An entertaining feature of this book is the holes in alternate pages which give a sneak peek at the illustration on the coming page.  In board book format, this feature is very robust, giving the book a longer life-span than many other interactive books.  The illustrations, which are a vital part of the story, are beautifully executed by Janet Ahlberg, a Kate Greenaway Medal-winning illustrator.*  The highly detailed pictures depict Allan Ahlberg’s childhood in the 1930’s and 40’s.**  Children and adults alike will enjoy the “eye-spy” nature of the illustrations, with recurring features such as the dress the mother wears which is first seen hanging in the wardrobe,*** and the baby’s ball and teddy which appear on several pages.  The cover extravagantly proclaims that it is ‘the BEST book ever published for babies.’   Hyperbole though that may be, Peepo! truly is a delightful book for littlest bookworms.

*You can find out more about the Kate Greenaway Medal here

**You might like to visit the Puffin Books website to find out more about Janet and Allan Ahlberg

***Listen to Allan Ahlberg talking about Peepo!