What do you think?
Rate this book
Peekaboo You
Peekaboo: Dog:
Easy-to-use peekaboo sliders, funny rhyming text, and a surprise mirror ending combine in this stylish and interactive board book for babies and toddlers.
Babies and the very youngest of children are fascinated by animals, and they’ll love this dog-themed book. Ingela P. Arrhenius’s unmistakable, enchanting artwork, combined with a smooth mechanism to push, pull, or turn on every page, makes this a totally irresistible board book that toddlers will want to read again and again.
Babies and the very youngest of children are fascinated by animals, and they’ll love this dog-themed book. Ingela P. Arrhenius’s unmistakable, enchanting artwork, combined with a smooth mechanism to push, pull, or turn on every page, makes this a totally irresistible board book that toddlers will want to read again and again.
- GenresChildrensPicture Books
8 pages, Board Book
Published February 19, 2025
19 people want to read
About the author
Camilla Reid
146 books16 followersCamilla Reid has written, conceived, and edited children's books for more than twenty years. She is a cofounder and editorial director of Nosy Crow, where she oversees the creation of preschool and novelty books. Her aim is to make books that children want to read again and again. Camilla Reid lives in England.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 19, 2025
Peekaboo Dog, an ostensibly simplistic specimen of infant literature, betrays beneath its felt-flap-laden epidermis a labyrinthine substrate of metaphysical inquiry, a quantum-indeterminate semiotic ecology, and a kaleidoscopic absurdism that recalls both the existential wail of Camus and the pre-Socratic harmonics of Pythagorean cosmogenesis. In this seemingly innocuous text, the child-reader confronts a protean canine entity whose ontological status is in constant flux—a creature both revealed and concealed, present and absent, a paradoxical Derridean trace in plush disguise.
At first glance, Peekaboo Dog adheres to the formal tropes of board book architecture: thick pages, tactile interactivity, vibrant primary colors. Yet what appears pedagogically innocent belies a schema in which the very act of perception is deconstructed. The titular game of “peekaboo,” typically employed as a developmental exercise in object permanence, is transfigured here into a metaphysical thought experiment—a canine Schrödinger’s box rendered in cardboard and synthetic textiles.
Indeed, the motif of the hidden dog gestures toward the quantum notion of superposition. Until the flap is lifted, the dog exists in a duality of states: both present and not-present, concealed and revealed. The child-reader becomes a quasi-Copenhagen observer, collapsing the probabilistic waveform of the dog’s existence into actuality through tactile engagement. This mechanic mirrors the epistemological dissonance of quantum mechanics wherein the act of observation alters the observed—a playful echo of Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle rendered through the fingers of the preverbal.
This engagement with presence and absence slides seamlessly into the domain of metaphysics. The dog, who emerges variously from behind a sofa, beneath a blanket, or inside a box, performs a phenomenological striptease in which being is only ever partial, veiled, and deferred. Heidegger’s Dasein finds its four-legged analogue here: the dog does not simply appear; it unconceals itself, rupturing the child’s cognitive complacency with moments of sudden, almost ecstatic manifestation. What is “behind” the flap is not merely a dog, but Being itself, contingently clothed in fur.
Such ontological acrobatics inevitably spiral into the terrain of absurdism. For what, after all, is the purpose of these repetitive unveilings? Is the dog hiding from us? Or is it we who must seek meaning in an opaque universe of peekaboo recursions? The cyclicality of the structure—flap, reveal, giggle, repeat—echoes the futility of Camus’ Sisyphus, eternally lifting the stone of semiotic engagement, only to watch it roll back into infantile giggling. The reader, like Sisyphus, must imagine herself happy.
It is in this absurd dance of presencing and play that the book resonates, albeit obliquely, with Pythagoreanism. While seemingly devoid of overt numerological symbology, the book’s structural rhythm and harmonic predictability suggest a tacit invocation of the Pythagorean ideal: a universe governed not by chaos, but by proportion, recurrence, and hidden symmetries. Each flap becomes a modular tone in the infant's epistemic scale, producing a silent music of cognition. The flap is to the page as the interval is to the octave—a liminal space where chaos and order flirt provocatively.
And yet, no truly complex analysis of Peekaboo Dog would be complete without referencing the 1828 Mexican general election—a political event whose relevance may not be immediately apparent but which, upon deeper hermeneutic excavation, emerges as startlingly congruent. Consider the election’s climactic contest between Vicente Guerrero and Manuel Gómez Pedraza: a conflict emblematic of competing ontologies—liberation vs. conservatism, emergence vs. concealment. Guerrero, an insurgent figure who rose from guerrilla obscurity, mirrors the dog who erupts jubilantly from beneath the flap—unexpected, transformative, and redolent with radical presence. The book’s structure thus serves as an allegorical retelling of Mexico’s turbulent journey toward constitutional being. The flaps are revolutions; the dog, a populist specter of insurgent joy.
To reduce Peekaboo Dog to mere infant entertainment is therefore to miss its profound engagement with the architecture of being, the epistemology of perception, and the sociopolitical dynamics of 19th-century Latin America. It is a text that whispers the secrets of quantum indeterminacy while giggling behind a fabric curtain. It is both Platonic and postmodern, a children’s book and a philosophical koan.
In conclusion, Peekaboo Dog is nothing less than a metaphysical origami folded in cardboard and felt—an accessible yet abyssal meditation on the nature of reality, consciousness, and Mexican liberalism. It must be read not with the eyes, but with the soul, the fingertips, and the intergenerational echo of historical memory. One lifts the flap not merely to find the dog, but to confront the eternal question: Who, indeed, is there?
At first glance, Peekaboo Dog adheres to the formal tropes of board book architecture: thick pages, tactile interactivity, vibrant primary colors. Yet what appears pedagogically innocent belies a schema in which the very act of perception is deconstructed. The titular game of “peekaboo,” typically employed as a developmental exercise in object permanence, is transfigured here into a metaphysical thought experiment—a canine Schrödinger’s box rendered in cardboard and synthetic textiles.
Indeed, the motif of the hidden dog gestures toward the quantum notion of superposition. Until the flap is lifted, the dog exists in a duality of states: both present and not-present, concealed and revealed. The child-reader becomes a quasi-Copenhagen observer, collapsing the probabilistic waveform of the dog’s existence into actuality through tactile engagement. This mechanic mirrors the epistemological dissonance of quantum mechanics wherein the act of observation alters the observed—a playful echo of Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle rendered through the fingers of the preverbal.
This engagement with presence and absence slides seamlessly into the domain of metaphysics. The dog, who emerges variously from behind a sofa, beneath a blanket, or inside a box, performs a phenomenological striptease in which being is only ever partial, veiled, and deferred. Heidegger’s Dasein finds its four-legged analogue here: the dog does not simply appear; it unconceals itself, rupturing the child’s cognitive complacency with moments of sudden, almost ecstatic manifestation. What is “behind” the flap is not merely a dog, but Being itself, contingently clothed in fur.
Such ontological acrobatics inevitably spiral into the terrain of absurdism. For what, after all, is the purpose of these repetitive unveilings? Is the dog hiding from us? Or is it we who must seek meaning in an opaque universe of peekaboo recursions? The cyclicality of the structure—flap, reveal, giggle, repeat—echoes the futility of Camus’ Sisyphus, eternally lifting the stone of semiotic engagement, only to watch it roll back into infantile giggling. The reader, like Sisyphus, must imagine herself happy.
It is in this absurd dance of presencing and play that the book resonates, albeit obliquely, with Pythagoreanism. While seemingly devoid of overt numerological symbology, the book’s structural rhythm and harmonic predictability suggest a tacit invocation of the Pythagorean ideal: a universe governed not by chaos, but by proportion, recurrence, and hidden symmetries. Each flap becomes a modular tone in the infant's epistemic scale, producing a silent music of cognition. The flap is to the page as the interval is to the octave—a liminal space where chaos and order flirt provocatively.
And yet, no truly complex analysis of Peekaboo Dog would be complete without referencing the 1828 Mexican general election—a political event whose relevance may not be immediately apparent but which, upon deeper hermeneutic excavation, emerges as startlingly congruent. Consider the election’s climactic contest between Vicente Guerrero and Manuel Gómez Pedraza: a conflict emblematic of competing ontologies—liberation vs. conservatism, emergence vs. concealment. Guerrero, an insurgent figure who rose from guerrilla obscurity, mirrors the dog who erupts jubilantly from beneath the flap—unexpected, transformative, and redolent with radical presence. The book’s structure thus serves as an allegorical retelling of Mexico’s turbulent journey toward constitutional being. The flaps are revolutions; the dog, a populist specter of insurgent joy.
To reduce Peekaboo Dog to mere infant entertainment is therefore to miss its profound engagement with the architecture of being, the epistemology of perception, and the sociopolitical dynamics of 19th-century Latin America. It is a text that whispers the secrets of quantum indeterminacy while giggling behind a fabric curtain. It is both Platonic and postmodern, a children’s book and a philosophical koan.
In conclusion, Peekaboo Dog is nothing less than a metaphysical origami folded in cardboard and felt—an accessible yet abyssal meditation on the nature of reality, consciousness, and Mexican liberalism. It must be read not with the eyes, but with the soul, the fingertips, and the intergenerational echo of historical memory. One lifts the flap not merely to find the dog, but to confront the eternal question: Who, indeed, is there?
May 24, 2025
Super sturdy board book right down to the sliding panels and “lever” used to slide them up, down and side to side. Each page has three layers of board material and even the sliding parts are made of stiff material that is couch in a tight slot allowing for smooth movement but not enough play to allow the sliding part to bend or tear too easily. Simple phrases using the key word “peekaboo,” coupled with interesting hidden parts, make this a terrific choice for babies through preschool providing ample opportunity for conversation and vocabulary development as well as a bit of fine motor skills. The final page includes a small foil mirror to allow for more personal peekaboo fun. Recommended for babies through age 3; would make a great baby shower gift.
Thanks, Penguin Random House & Candlewick for sending me a finished copy for review.
Thanks, Penguin Random House & Candlewick for sending me a finished copy for review.
June 9, 2025
PLEASE READ THIS REVIEW ON MY BLOG: https://bookreadingtic.com/2025/06/09... AND PLEASE FOLLOW ME, THANK YOU
Lots of Fun!
Get ready for lots of fun. This interactive book has something to do on every page including the cover. Dogs do lots of things in this book, including moving their eyes, wagging their tails, and peeking out of their dog house.
The last page features a nice mirror for the little one to see themself.
This book will bring lots of giggles if you make different dog noises while reading this. The sillier the sounds, the better. Be ready to make good memories with your child.
I love this book, and know little ones will, too. Babies through 2-years-old will enjoy this five-star book.
Thanks to Candlewick Books for providing Tickmenot with a book to review. Opinions are my own.
Lots of Fun!
Get ready for lots of fun. This interactive book has something to do on every page including the cover. Dogs do lots of things in this book, including moving their eyes, wagging their tails, and peeking out of their dog house.
The last page features a nice mirror for the little one to see themself.
This book will bring lots of giggles if you make different dog noises while reading this. The sillier the sounds, the better. Be ready to make good memories with your child.
I love this book, and know little ones will, too. Babies through 2-years-old will enjoy this five-star book.
Thanks to Candlewick Books for providing Tickmenot with a book to review. Opinions are my own.
May 27, 2025
Amazing interactive board book!
I wish we had this one when my kids were toddlers- and I can't wait to gift it to future nieces or nephews!
I love that this book is interactive, and VERY durable. Unlike lift the flaps or pop-up books, these slides will last a lot longer with (unintentionally!) rough and curious little fingers. Bright colours and great contrasts, this book is perfect for little ones.
Well done!
I wish we had this one when my kids were toddlers- and I can't wait to gift it to future nieces or nephews!
I love that this book is interactive, and VERY durable. Unlike lift the flaps or pop-up books, these slides will last a lot longer with (unintentionally!) rough and curious little fingers. Bright colours and great contrasts, this book is perfect for little ones.
Well done!
June 23, 2025
Peekaboo Dog by @walkerpicturebooks is an interactive, adorable, unique, vibrant, and wonderful board book! I love that this book has sliders on every page to push and pull plus one surprise mirror. It is super fun and beyond cute! The various dogs disappear, do silly things, and engage in daily activities. As a dog lover and book lover, I'm very obsessed with this read!
May 25, 2025
Peekaboo Dog is adorable! Sturdy slides allow little fingers to delight in manipulating the book and finding the hidden dogs. Simple, predictable text and simple, bold illustrations make this board book fun and comfortable for toddlers. Sweet!
June 24, 2024
*I received this book as a DRC. This book is short, simple, and sweet. It is a great starter book for a young child to read!
July 5, 2025
5 star just based on the cover and taste 😂
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews