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Peck, Peck, Peck
Comical and original, this vivacious picture book from the creator of Maisy features a lovable new character — and a novelty element that’s a hole lot of fun.
Today my daddy said to me,
"It’s time you learned to peck a tree."
Little woodpecker has just learned to peck. Yippee! He’s having so much fun that he peck-peck-pecks right through a door and has a go at everything on the other side, from the hat to the mat, the racket to the jacket, the teddy bear to a book called Jane Eyre. Children will be drawn to the young bird’s exuberance at learning a new skill — and ready to snuggle along at day’s end for a night of sweet dreams.
Today my daddy said to me,
"It’s time you learned to peck a tree."
Little woodpecker has just learned to peck. Yippee! He’s having so much fun that he peck-peck-pecks right through a door and has a go at everything on the other side, from the hat to the mat, the racket to the jacket, the teddy bear to a book called Jane Eyre. Children will be drawn to the young bird’s exuberance at learning a new skill — and ready to snuggle along at day’s end for a night of sweet dreams.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
2 people are currently reading
349 people want to read
About the author
Lucy Cousins
591 books174 followersLucy Cousins, BA Honours in Graphic Design from The Faculty of Arts and Architecture, Brighton Polytechnic, postgraduate degree from Royal College of Art, is an author-illustrator of children's books. She is best known for her books featuring Maisy Mouse but she has also published other children's books including one about Noah's Ark. She is a mother of four and lives in Hampshire, England. Her own children are the inspiration for her books whose age range is 2-8.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 192 reviews
April 25, 2018
* * *Read and Reviewed by Me & My Niece Emma* * *
A daddy red-headed woodpecker sends his son into the world to peck holes in things and boy howdy, that little bird is one hell of a pecker!
The moment I saw this sitting on the library shelf, I knew we'd be reading it. You see, Emma is a first class sucker for any book with holes in it.
Peck, Peck, Peck just might be the book that busts that proclivity. It was nothing but page after page of a woodpecker pecking holes in various objects. At the high point, he gets into somebody's home and pokes freaking holes in everything, even their jellybeans!
But that's it. That's all that happens. No one chases off the bird. There's no lesson to be learned aside from that woodpeckers like to peck holes, and the why of that phenomenon isn't even explained.
I think this would be more suitable for the 3-4 age range. Maybe I should've pointed that out while we were at the library.
The Emma-o-meter registered only a couple giggles.
A daddy red-headed woodpecker sends his son into the world to peck holes in things and boy howdy, that little bird is one hell of a pecker!
The moment I saw this sitting on the library shelf, I knew we'd be reading it. You see, Emma is a first class sucker for any book with holes in it.
Peck, Peck, Peck just might be the book that busts that proclivity. It was nothing but page after page of a woodpecker pecking holes in various objects. At the high point, he gets into somebody's home and pokes freaking holes in everything, even their jellybeans!
But that's it. That's all that happens. No one chases off the bird. There's no lesson to be learned aside from that woodpeckers like to peck holes, and the why of that phenomenon isn't even explained.
I think this would be more suitable for the 3-4 age range. Maybe I should've pointed that out while we were at the library.
The Emma-o-meter registered only a couple giggles.
September 29, 2013
A father woodpecker teaches his baby how to peck a hole in a tree. The youngster is thrilled and papa is so proud that he sends the little bird off to practice hard and have fun.
Well, thanks for the guidelines, Dad, because this little woodpecker proceeds to peck holes in the gate, the door, clothes, a tennis racket, the sofa, a teddy bear, and even the toilet. He pecks holes until there is not a single thing left hole-less. Then he flies back to his father, tells him, "I absolutely love, love, love, love, LOVE to peck," and father is just so pleased. He kisses his little bird goodnight, and our story ends. (I admit, I am curious how he manages to kiss him and not peck a hole in his little woodpecker head.)
Complete silliness that's probably only appropriate for toddlers (not that it's inappropriate, they're just the only ones who could tolerate it).
Well, thanks for the guidelines, Dad, because this little woodpecker proceeds to peck holes in the gate, the door, clothes, a tennis racket, the sofa, a teddy bear, and even the toilet. He pecks holes until there is not a single thing left hole-less. Then he flies back to his father, tells him, "I absolutely love, love, love, love, LOVE to peck," and father is just so pleased. He kisses his little bird goodnight, and our story ends. (I admit, I am curious how he manages to kiss him and not peck a hole in his little woodpecker head.)
Complete silliness that's probably only appropriate for toddlers (not that it's inappropriate, they're just the only ones who could tolerate it).
September 7, 2016
Maybe the very youngest children will giggle. But if it's aimed at them, it should be a sturdy board book. And I don't know why the dad is praising the youngster for being destructive - even if they don't care about people's belongings, they should care about the tree that the youngster drilled right through!
Maybe it seems like I'm being overly harsh. But the way I see it, every new and shiny book has to earn its place on the shelf. Book-buyers have limited budgets, and libraries have limited space, and although this is kind of a little bit cute, there are many other better books that should be purchased.
Maybe it seems like I'm being overly harsh. But the way I see it, every new and shiny book has to earn its place on the shelf. Book-buyers have limited budgets, and libraries have limited space, and although this is kind of a little bit cute, there are many other better books that should be purchased.
September 3, 2013
Anyone who works or lives with young children will appreciate the humor of this book. When young children first learn to do something they do it over and over and over again, which is exactly what happens in this book. I think young children will find this book very enjoyable, especially pointing out the 'holes' that the young bird pecks in the pages. Finally, the young bird exhausts himself and heads home. I had to laugh at this just because I can see an exhausted parent following a young child around hoping they will eventually tire of what they are doing. Lucy Cousins just seems to have a firm grip on how young children think and act making her books a great resource for parents.
May 20, 2017
When Daddy Woodpecker teaches Baby Woodpecker to peck, Baby Woodpecker has so much fun, he doesn't know when to stop. The result is a lot of "pecked' holes that go right through the book's pages.
The story is cute and entertaining. The illustrations, done in primary colors, are bold and eye-catching. And of course, children will get a kick out of putting their fingers through the hoes. Peck, Peck, Peck is a fun book to share with children ages 3-7.
The story is cute and entertaining. The illustrations, done in primary colors, are bold and eye-catching. And of course, children will get a kick out of putting their fingers through the hoes. Peck, Peck, Peck is a fun book to share with children ages 3-7.
December 28, 2020
Because of this book, my son broke into a neighbor’s home and drilled holes into all of their furniture. Curse you, Lucy Cousins, for teaching children that wanton destruction of property is “so superb.”
Actually, this book is great and I don’t mind reading it 3-7 times a day. My son is only 1, but he seems to know already that he is not a woodpecker (he’s a genius, I guess).
Actually, this book is great and I don’t mind reading it 3-7 times a day. My son is only 1, but he seems to know already that he is not a woodpecker (he’s a genius, I guess).
August 12, 2017
The bright colors are great, and the teaching of what certain objects are called, but pecking things that shouldn't be pecked just because you're enjoying all that pecking is not the best lesson for neither children nor adults.
January 11, 2019
Daddy woodpecker tells his child it's time to learn how to peck. They start out learning to peck a tree. Then Daddy woodpecker sends baby woodpecker off to practice pecking. Baby woodpecker pecks a hole in the gate and in the blue door. He pecks almost everything on the other side of the blue door too. Soon there are holes all over the objects inside of the house. Baby bird is having so much fun. Soon it is time for him to go home. Daddy woodpecker is proud of baby. He tucks his exhausted little one into the nest and kisses its little head.
A delightful book full of cutout holes from where the baby's peck, peck, pecked. The primary color illustrations, printed on thick pages, will entice a child to touch the holes. This book I feel is for children three years old and up.
A delightful book full of cutout holes from where the baby's peck, peck, pecked. The primary color illustrations, printed on thick pages, will entice a child to touch the holes. This book I feel is for children three years old and up.
February 10, 2024
read to my nephew and had a hearty laugh!
May 16, 2024
Bright colors and holes in the pages. Doesn’t get any better than that.
August 15, 2017
First sentence: Today my daddy said to me, "It's time you learned to peck a tree." "Now hold on tight. That's very good. Then peck, peck, peck, peck, peck the wood." Peck peck peck.
Premise/plot: A young woodpecker experiences the joy of pecking for the first time. Not satisfied pecking trees or wooden things, our bird hero has a blast pecking everything.
My thoughts: This book was satisfying to read. Joy can be contagious. It was fun to see what he would peck, peck, peck next. His pecking was a bit out of control, yet he was born to peck! The illustrations are fun to look at with little ones. There's lots of opportunities to engage with the text and illustrations making the book more interactive. (How many holes did he peck on this page? He must have really loved jelly beans! What do you think his favorite flavor was? What will he peck next? Do you think he is getting tired?)
Even if you can't stand Maisy, you should try this book by Lucy Cousins.
Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 9 out of 10
Premise/plot: A young woodpecker experiences the joy of pecking for the first time. Not satisfied pecking trees or wooden things, our bird hero has a blast pecking everything.
My thoughts: This book was satisfying to read. Joy can be contagious. It was fun to see what he would peck, peck, peck next. His pecking was a bit out of control, yet he was born to peck! The illustrations are fun to look at with little ones. There's lots of opportunities to engage with the text and illustrations making the book more interactive. (How many holes did he peck on this page? He must have really loved jelly beans! What do you think his favorite flavor was? What will he peck next? Do you think he is getting tired?)
Even if you can't stand Maisy, you should try this book by Lucy Cousins.
Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 9 out of 10
October 8, 2019
I try to forgive Lucy Cousins for the incredibly irritating "Maisie" TV show of my kids' youth, and I love her recent turn towards nature. And she does really good birds. I'm a woodpecker fan--we have several kinds that visit my bird feeders. So I expected to love this book, but instead I want to scream, looking at those REAL holes in the cover--and throughout the pages, and knowing that the toddlers will kill this book. As for the plot--well, to use an old expression, it's got holes in it. And that's all it has. Literally.
March 4, 2025
New to me Lucy Cousins book. Dad teaches little one to peck, peck, peck, and once mastering the lesson, goes off to peck, peck, peck EVERYTHING.
August 25, 2022
One of the best books, great vocabulary, unique reading experience! So much fun every time we read
November 8, 2013
We loved this one. It's a fun, silly story about a little woodpecker whose father is teaching him how to peck. The little woodpecker goes out into the world and pecks everything in sight. And then he tells his father how much he loves to peck.
The story is complemented by little die-cut "peck" holes in the pages, which are sure to delight toddlers. I know that mine loved them. She touched all the different holes. She also liked identifying the different objects that had been pecked.
I had a lot of fun reading it. The first time I stumbled a little bit, because I was expecting a strict rhyme scheme, and instead Cousins plays it a little loose. But, I ultimately liked that. Reading the perfect rhyme-y stuff can feel a little tedious after a while... this kept things from getting predictably boring. I guess it's what I would call "just enough rhyme".
The story is complemented by little die-cut "peck" holes in the pages, which are sure to delight toddlers. I know that mine loved them. She touched all the different holes. She also liked identifying the different objects that had been pecked.
I had a lot of fun reading it. The first time I stumbled a little bit, because I was expecting a strict rhyme scheme, and instead Cousins plays it a little loose. But, I ultimately liked that. Reading the perfect rhyme-y stuff can feel a little tedious after a while... this kept things from getting predictably boring. I guess it's what I would call "just enough rhyme".
January 3, 2016
A book for toddlers. A young woodpecker learns to peck, and proceeds to peck holes in everything in a neighboring house, but there is no consideration that the woodpecker is not where he belongs and is ruining other people's belongings. The pages are die cut and the holes make sense on the right side do the page, but on the reverse the holes are just holes that the words avoid. It is cute, but I am not sure why it got starred reviews.
December 19, 2016
This book has good intentions that don't quite pan out. The rhythm is just a little bit off, and the story doesn't really come to any conclusion about the little bird's silly pecking of everything in sight. It's visually appealing, and reminiscent of Cousins's Maisy books, so kids will love it, but I'd hesitate before taking it to story time because it's not as easy to read aloud as it looks.
December 13, 2013
I was thoroughly charmed by the two woodpeckers who populate the pages of this story. Sweet, sweet, sweet. Kiss, kiss, kiss.
November 24, 2016
Nok nok nok
Lasten keskus 2016
ISBN 978-952-288-513-5
Lasten keskus 2016
ISBN 978-952-288-513-5
August 15, 2017
Such a cute, creative way to use a book. A woodpecker practices on everything in the house!
August 1, 2018
tl;dr - A fun, whimsical, and inventive book that is wonderful for toddlers.
----
My 22 month old loves this. She has requested it often enough ("Want to read again please?") that she can now 'read' the entire book to me and my wife. She excitedly points out what the woodpecker has pecked holes into ("He pecked a hole in the sink!") and is astonished by how active this little bird has been ("So many holes!"). The character and his activities have carried over into everyday events: She giggles when her stuffed birds "peck, peck, peck" on her shoulder.... right before they tickle her. Any object that has holes in it has obviously been visited by the woodpecker. And many of the rhymes are catchy and fun. Quite simply, it is a delightfully fun book.
I see that many people gave the book one or two stars because they think it "promotes destructive behavior" and encourages children to "make holes in other people's property." I disagree.
If you believe children are going to reflexively emulate the characters in their books, then be certain there is also room in your rubbish bin for Dr. Seuss, Curious George, Chicka-Chicka-Boom-Boom (climbing unsafe trees), Babar, Peter Rabbit, the Little Prince (truancy), all of Grimm's creations, and many Biblical narratives.
Others didn't like it because they felt it was too simple for their kids. I guess they felt misled regarding the intended audience for this book. I can understand that frustration and disappointment, but that doesn't mean the book is flawed and deserves a low rating. That said, I think 'Peck, Peck, Peck' is best suited for toddlers. I wouldn't expect a 5 or even 4 year old to enjoy this book nearly as much as a 2 year old.
----
My 22 month old loves this. She has requested it often enough ("Want to read again please?") that she can now 'read' the entire book to me and my wife. She excitedly points out what the woodpecker has pecked holes into ("He pecked a hole in the sink!") and is astonished by how active this little bird has been ("So many holes!"). The character and his activities have carried over into everyday events: She giggles when her stuffed birds "peck, peck, peck" on her shoulder.... right before they tickle her. Any object that has holes in it has obviously been visited by the woodpecker. And many of the rhymes are catchy and fun. Quite simply, it is a delightfully fun book.
I see that many people gave the book one or two stars because they think it "promotes destructive behavior" and encourages children to "make holes in other people's property." I disagree.
If you believe children are going to reflexively emulate the characters in their books, then be certain there is also room in your rubbish bin for Dr. Seuss, Curious George, Chicka-Chicka-Boom-Boom (climbing unsafe trees), Babar, Peter Rabbit, the Little Prince (truancy), all of Grimm's creations, and many Biblical narratives.
Others didn't like it because they felt it was too simple for their kids. I guess they felt misled regarding the intended audience for this book. I can understand that frustration and disappointment, but that doesn't mean the book is flawed and deserves a low rating. That said, I think 'Peck, Peck, Peck' is best suited for toddlers. I wouldn't expect a 5 or even 4 year old to enjoy this book nearly as much as a 2 year old.
March 20, 2018
My 10 month old loves this book. The bright colours, the holes, the repetition, the rhythm. He turns the pages himself. The little woodpecker learns a new skill, goes off to practice it and comes home tired, but happy, unaware that he has made holes in lots of things he shouldn't have. His Daddy didn't realise that he'd strayed from the trees, so praises up his efforts. We read this book every night and as the Daddy woodpecker says, "Good night, sleep tight. I love love love love LOVE you" and kisses him on the head "kiss kiss kiss", my husband says and does the same, which delights my boy. It is then time to go up to bed. Later, there will be lots of opportunities to name objects or talk about the rights of wrongs damaging people's possessions, but for now I usually mention the colours and the washing machine because my boy is fascinated with ours. I think this is a perfect book for older babies and toddlers and I can cope with the repetition, which is half the battle with children's books! Definitely get the board book version. It has held up really well to a lot of handling.
July 8, 2021
This book will be great fun with very young children - it's really more appropriate as a board book than as a picture book. I know some children will love all the holes in the pages, even though the see-through colours don't really match up.
I had a couple of issues, however.
Firstly, the rhyme (or half-rhyme, as it is) doesn't really work. I've seen reviews from librarians who say it's a really difficult read-aloud because of that.
My other issue is there's no actual story. Not even a twist at the end. The bird pecks holes in everything - including in everything in someone's house! - but then they just go home and go to bed. There was such a missed opportunity to be caught, for DRAMA and hilarity. And I feel like there should have been consequences.
Cute. Really cute illustrations. But there was something missing from this one.
I had a couple of issues, however.
Firstly, the rhyme (or half-rhyme, as it is) doesn't really work. I've seen reviews from librarians who say it's a really difficult read-aloud because of that.
My other issue is there's no actual story. Not even a twist at the end. The bird pecks holes in everything - including in everything in someone's house! - but then they just go home and go to bed. There was such a missed opportunity to be caught, for DRAMA and hilarity. And I feel like there should have been consequences.
Cute. Really cute illustrations. But there was something missing from this one.
December 8, 2018
Little woodpecker learned wood pecking and started to peck everything around it.
It was fun to read about the little woodpecker becoming obsessed over the action of pecking without a purpose of wood pecking like searching for insects and a nesting site. The recursive patterns of sentences would be helpful for young readers to learn a language. However, I wish the author wrote the content to make more sense at some degrees. Moreover, die cutting techniques were used clumsily in this picture book. It was a good idea to adopt the technique to portray the hole by the woodpecker, but when pages turn, the holes did not make sense anymore. I read this book after reading Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger whose dexterity with die cut skills was remarkable, so this book was a bit disappointing.
It was fun to read about the little woodpecker becoming obsessed over the action of pecking without a purpose of wood pecking like searching for insects and a nesting site. The recursive patterns of sentences would be helpful for young readers to learn a language. However, I wish the author wrote the content to make more sense at some degrees. Moreover, die cutting techniques were used clumsily in this picture book. It was a good idea to adopt the technique to portray the hole by the woodpecker, but when pages turn, the holes did not make sense anymore. I read this book after reading Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger whose dexterity with die cut skills was remarkable, so this book was a bit disappointing.
January 19, 2020
This is a silly one that I got out of the library partly because of the good reviews but also because my 2.5 year old heard a woodpecker last summer and was scared of how loud it was. Since it's winter now and she STILL talks about it, I guess I was trying to show her a kinder, gentler side of woodpeckers. :) It's a cute book and definitely fun for little ones to touch all the holes as the little woodpecker gets more and more intense about pecking everything in the house. For this kind of a touch and feel book it's spot on. That said, I didn't really enjoy reading it. Can't put my finger on why, maybe just too much "peck peck peck peck peck peck peck!!"
February 6, 2023
The woodpecker is cute but the book itself is kind of subpar. All the baby bird does is peck holes in everything. It’s mostly stuff inside a house (which isn’t really where a bird should be making holes). Then he just goes home. This would be a good book to show where the woodpecker should and shouldn’t be making holes or teaching some sort of lesson but there really isn’t anything to it. It’s like I can do a thing. Now I’ll do it all day long and now I’m done. I guess kids will like it because there are holes in the pages, it’s illustrated in bright colors and there’s a nice rhythm to it. 3 stars
September 14, 2024
It's truly fascinating to me how you can have the same author produce books that are so wildly varying in quality.
This book was both cute and amusing. It had a story arc that I found engaging and that I think a child would find engaging as well. It had holes in the page in differing numbers making it a great counting book without being super obvious that it's a counting book. It was a poem that is fun to read aloud. It had lots of vocabulary that were just a tad bit long, and a tad bit odd, that were perfectly supported by the pictures so there wouldn't be trouble with understanding.
It was fun!
Story: Narrative Poem
Art: Iconic
Price: $15.99
This book was both cute and amusing. It had a story arc that I found engaging and that I think a child would find engaging as well. It had holes in the page in differing numbers making it a great counting book without being super obvious that it's a counting book. It was a poem that is fun to read aloud. It had lots of vocabulary that were just a tad bit long, and a tad bit odd, that were perfectly supported by the pictures so there wouldn't be trouble with understanding.
It was fun!
Story: Narrative Poem
Art: Iconic
Price: $15.99
February 10, 2021
Cousins' story of a young woodpecker learning to peck and utterly destroying a suburban home in the process. Bird's father is doing the teaching this time and, like with her Fish book, no gender is given for the main character, allowing any child with a father to place themselves in the narrator's stead. The same “kiss, kiss, kiss” from the parent on the child's return is also repeated here, though the meter and rhymes are much more fluid. The art style is less primitive, but still accessibly child-like.
October 9, 2023
In this one a father is teaching his little woodpecker to peck. At first he is a tentative pecker, and had some trouble warming to the idea of it all. Then once he gets the hand of it he’s having so much fun that he peck-peck-pecks right through a door and has a go at everything on the other side. Children will be drawn to the young bird’s exuberance at learning a new skill and parents might worry that they are giving permission to damage their homes--probably best given by an aunt or a trusted friend!
February 7, 2017
Pikkutikka opettelee nokkimaan. Ensin nokitaan vähä puuta, aitaa, porttia ja ovea mutta vähitellen mopo karkaa käsistä. Sylitettävän suureksi riemuksi hakattiin lopulta reikiä takkiin ja kenkiin ja reppuun ja lipastoon ja mattoon ja kattoon ja vaikka mihin.
Ja kun nokkimishomma oli huolella hoidettu, kukaan ei tullut torumaan ja neuvomaan, vaan reipas pieni mestarinokkija meni vain tyytyväisenä nukkumaan.
Awww!
Ja kun nokkimishomma oli huolella hoidettu, kukaan ei tullut torumaan ja neuvomaan, vaan reipas pieni mestarinokkija meni vain tyytyväisenä nukkumaan.
Awww!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 192 reviews