KID´S BOOK RANT: PEEKABOO BOOKS
Book Title: Every peekaboo book ever written
Author: Every author who has ever written a peekaboo book
Recommend: Highly
R A N T
The peekaboo book category is a lesser known children’s literature genre most notable for its content of the words, “peek- a- boo” in various forms of lifting flaps, turning pages, or other such inflection that seems appropriate to the peekaboo methodology.
It’s not that I haven’t played thousands of games of peekaboo in my day. From babysitting, parenting, aunt-ing, to just standing behind kids in lines at grocery stores, I have played my fair share of peekaboo, and then some. I enjoy it as much as the next mom. There is nothing inherently wrong with the game itself. Developmentally important, the act of disappearing and reappearing is a wonderful and hilarious brain activity for growing little minds…or so I’m told.
Yes, my kids love these books in any form. The hilarity of “peekaboo” rarely seems to grow old.
Occasionally, it appears that some writers may use “peekaboo” as a lazy way to make their book have a point. For example, we have a few animal peekaboo books: one about a farm and one with jungle-esque creatures. Both have a decently lengthy poem description of the hiding animal, then a flap to reveal the creature. Honestly, my kids would like it just fine without the hidden animals or the flap. They don’t mind silly little rhymes describing an already visible pig. But in our modern era I feel like, “they” (anyone who writes peekaboo books) think that a simple book might be too boring and it needs a gimmick to interest us! I’m offended.
Another annoying part about the peekaboo industry for anyone reading this to the baby/toddler as intended: the second you open to a new page, like moths to a flame, they are drawn to lifting the flap- immediately! This leaves you no time to get the words out intended to keep the meter steady. Trust me, the potency of, “peekaboo horse!” is lost if they’ve been staring at the horse for a full 5 seconds. This causes a great deal of frustration (for me) as I try to read fast enough to match their uncoordinated fingers lifting a flap. It also causes frustration (theirs) because their mom is a rule follower who will not often LET them lift a flap until it is appropriate to the story itself!
I am all for interactive books for the littles- and peekaboo is one option. I especially like a book called, “Baby Cakes” by Karma Wilson, for an interactive, touch and play positive book for physical, silly interactions that don’t include peekaboo! Ok, there is ONE peekaboo in the book- but it does not rest on the “peekaboo” itself to carry the fun, rhyme, and meter.
