Peek-A-Boo Haiku: A Lift-the-Flap Book

by Danna Smith, Teagan White (Illustrator)

This poetic lift-the-flap board book features haikus about hidden woodland animals, plus flaps that reveal those animals!

Warm breezes blowing,
pond open for summer fun—
slip, slide, belly ride!
(Peek-a-boo, OTTER!)

Each haiku in this lift-the-flap board book will have readers guessing the animal it describes—with the answer revealed under a flap on each page! With lovely text, sweet illustrations, and cute creatures, this lyrical and interactive book is a joy to read!

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Animals, Nature, Childrens, Fiction

18 pages, Board Book

Published February 21, 2023

About the author

When Danna was a child, her favorite “toy” was a pencil. Today, she is a poet and award-winning author of over twenty-five books for children. Danna lives in northern California with her husband, children, and grandchildren. For more information about her books and teaching activities, visit her website at www.dannadmithbooks.com.

Reviews

[Christine Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing like a gorgeous, well-made lift-the-flap board book comprised of charming haikus to rediscover the joy of interactive books as an adult

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/28/2023 - Lovely illustrations. I read the book and my daughter lifted the flaps to find the different creatures. Loved interacting together with this book! ☺️🥰

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peek-a-boo! I see a fantastic new board book! With lyrical rhyme and fun lift-the-flap surprises, young readers will LOVE Peek-a-Book Haiku and ask to read it again and AGAIN! And it will introduce young readers to the rhythm and fun word-play of Haiku. Combined with lovely, colorful art, this small book will inspire smiles, laughter, and the love of reading. A must have for teachers, librarians, and parents!!

[Angela De Groot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful words and art. Haiku on each spread hint at the creature to be revealed by the lift-a-flap activity. I can see this becoming a favorite. Love the combination of poetry, nature, and peek-a-boo.

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 4 out of 5]

So Audrey was more fascinated by the owl in the broken tree than the haiku (or frankly any of the other nature/animal elements). But this is a fabulous book that is more "high brow" when you think about board books. I enjoy this one!

[Mother Goose Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peek-a-Boo Haiku by Danna Smith and illustrated by Teagan White , is a delightfully, sweet lift-the-flap board book about animals. Introduce young readers to poetry by reading a riddle-like haiku on one side of the double page spread. On the other side is a nature scene with a flap to lift and reveal the animal. Artwork depicts the seasons throughout the book. Beautiful haiku poetry and charming illustrations, with the added element of interactivity, make Peek-a-Boo Haiku a delightful read for an animal story time or an exploration of poetry. Highly recommended.

[Jenna White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations that kept my baby looking all over the page!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations. Great introduction to haiku for young readers.

[Brooke - TheBrookeList · Rating 4 out of 5]

This board book shines as just beautiful and giftable in every way. The illustrations feel both modern and classic and are a treat to look at. The small haikus are simple and easy to read, with fun flaps to find the animals. A more refine board book, Peek-A-Boo Haiku has a classy style and feel.

Read as a nomination in the Fiction Picture Book book award category as a panelist for Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards (Cybils Awards).

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the whimsical charm of this peek-a-boo, lift the flap book! Only thing missing is a sweet baby to read it to in my lap. I'll never stop missing the days of reading to a baby/child in my lap & sharing the wonderment of them lifting the flaps. I have to admit, I enjoyed being the 1st person lifting the flap in this new book at my library.

[Olivia]

See my full review here: https://www.yabookscentral.com/peek-a...

PEEK-A-BOO HAIKU is a cute board book of haikus. Each page spread features a lush forest scene along with a haiku. There are then one or two flaps that peek-a-boo to a particular animal or insect. The concept is simple, but the design is lovely!

What I loved: This is a lush board book with detailed, sweeping illustrations of the forest on each page. The color schemes were very thoughtfully done with different scenes having different prevailing colors, and making them each something lovely to visually explore. The haikus are simple and can introduce early poetry concepts to little ones. The youngest readers will love lifting the flaps to see the animals or bugs that are hiding. If there are two flaps on the page, the animal is the same underneath both, and the poetry ties into the animal children are finding. For instance, a brief poem about eggs left behind on the beach includes a flap that lifts to see a turtle. The images capture different seasons as well, which was a lovely feature for early recognition (though not specifically pointed out in the story).

What left me wanting more: As a small thing, the flaps are just about cardstock thickness, and some are adhered on the thinner part of the flap, making them easily torn for rougher readers. Some of the haikus are a bit confusing for little ones, and while they introduce poetry, it may raise a lot of questions for curious little ones (though caregivers will likely be on hand to explain as needed).

Final verdict: PEEK-A-BOO HAIKU is a lovely board book that will entertain young toddlers with haiku and plenty of flaps.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish this book was around when my kids were tots, but I still managed to get my almost-eight-year-old to read it with me ;-) I love Teagan White's illustrations and they are utterly adorable here. The text is superior to most board books and I love the way the haiku is presented in tandem with the lift-the-flap element since each haiku is describing the creature that is hidden behind the flaps. It really encourages the child to reflect on the poetry so they can guess correctly.

"cherry blossoms fall
polka-dotted friend dances
on rosy petals"
[lift the flap to reveal a ladybug]

"sea of fallen leaves
divers search for lost treasure--
a golden acorn"
[lift the flaps to reveal squirrels]

Takes us through all the seasons, too. My son even noticed that little mice appear in every illustration, so there's even more fun for tots who enjoy spot-the-character type books. Definitely recommended if your wee one is old enough to be gentle with flaps and or you have a slightly older nature lover who wouldn't dismiss the board book format.

[Janet Squires · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peek-A-Boo Haiku: A Lift-the-Flap Book Board Book written by Danna Smith and illustrated by Teagan White

“in white winter coats/long-eared friends play hide-and-seek/moon says, ‘I see you’”

Delightful riddles invite young readers to identify the hidden animals before lifting the flap to confirm their guess. The engaging text and adorable creatures in their woodland setting makes this book a real charmer that youngsters are sure to adore.

The illustrations guide the reader through the seasonal changes in weather, environment, and the associated colors—pastels in spring, warm oranges and browns in fall. The satisfying result provides a variety of visual details to attract the eye and offer points of discussion about the natural world.

Recommended for the very young readers in your life.

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great book for young kids ages 2-5. Young kids love lifting up flaps and interacting with a story. I think they will enjoy this. Anything above that will probably be a little bored.

The artwork is cute. The lift-the-flaps are very simple and straight forward. What they say doesn't change.

I just got finished reading an anthology on Haiku from master. So seeing what the best Haiku is and see this Haiku, well, it was Haiku. It was fine. It was about nature and had the 5-7-5 scheme and 17 syllables one needs. It's not great Haiku, but kids can enjoy it.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

2024
I am a published haiku poet myself, and I love how this short poetic form “packs” in so much meaning about the seasons and flora and fauna. It’s a great form for children to learn and appreciate the world around them.

This book is charming in how it pairs haiku with “lift-the-flap” surprises. It’s a lucid, tactile, charming collection. Recommended!

[Maeghan Nutmeg Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet and gentle lift-the-flap. Soothing art and text.

Some pages have two flaps to lift, showing their respective critters in two hiding places. Cute.

My copy's flaps were extra crisp--I may have been the first one to check it out!

[Lynnette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This feels way too pretty to be a lift the flap book, but it works in my toddler loves it. The illustrations are adorable the haikus are nice and short and interesting. The flaps are pretty durable and they're a couple flaps on each page. Just a really neat board book.

[Deb Adamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little ones will be drawn to the beautiful nature illustrations in this lift-a-flap book. Danna Smith's lyrical haiku poetry will make them cheer for every page turn!

[Marta-Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, interactive walk through the seasons with adorable animals and great "peek-a-boo" repetition. For nature and animal lovers.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming, rosy-cheeked animals hide under flaps in this adorably illustrated toddler book. This is a great gift-book for a baby shower!

[AnnieM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great illustrations but it will die quickly in a public library.

[Bridgen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the haikus but baby was not interested

[Mary Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seasonal haiku take the reader through a year. Each haiku tells a little story and the illustrations and lift flaps add to the fun.

[Madison · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/28/2023 - Read with Momma. I had lots of fun lifting up the flaps and finding the animals and bugs!

[Andrés · Rating 4 out of 5]

Take your time with this one: analyzing the haikus, processing the rich illustrations, reflecting on four seasons, and, of course, opening the flaps.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun picture/board book of haiku. Great for primary grades!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful haikus and cute art.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations.

[Goldenrod · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations.

[Addie · Rating 5 out of 5]

22 month old and I loved this book. We may have read at least some of it twice in a row. Beautiful art and beautiful haikus with fun peekaboo flaps!