CHOO-CHOO PEEKABOO - Story Snug

CHOO-CHOO PEEKABOO by Gareth Lucas

CHOO-CHOO PEEKABOO is a sturdy, brightly coloured, lift the flap book which makes early reading fun. The main character, Zebra introduced us to numbers in Peekaboo 123 and letters in Peekaboo A to Z and in CHOO-CHOO PEEKABOO we are introduced to a variety of animals and vehicles that interrupt Zebra as he tries to find a quiet place to paint.

The Story: Zebra gets up early to spend the day doing his favourite thing – painting. But he struggles to find a quiet spot to paint, every time he settles down to work he is interrupted by animals and their different vehicles, even when he tries to paint at night. Can Zebra find a way to include the animals in his hobby…?

Zebra tries painting in the busy city, at the top of a mountain, in the countryside, down by the river and by the lake but his peace and quiet is shattered every time. Dalmatians on dirt bikes, rowdy rabbits on roller skates, cows in cable cars and even sheep in a spaceship interrupt Zebra’s painting sessions until he realises that getting the animals involved may help him. He surprises them by getting an old bus and asking them to paint an ‘Animal Art Bus’ to take them on a painting holiday.

The story is simple and fun to read and the text is full of wonderful onomatopoeia and alliteration – we particularly love ‘Beep beep! Boisterous baboons bounced off a broken-down bus’.

Gareth Lucas’ bright, bold illustrations are full of humour and life and his animals have so much character. Each spread has two sturdy flaps to peek under, we love this interpretation of Constable’s Hay Wain which is a calm, relaxing picture until you lift the flap…

…and peace is shattered!

CHOO-CHOO PEEKABOO provides so many opportunities for learning and discussion and would make a great addition to an Early Years’ classroom. There are so many different animals to talk about and count, vehicles to spot and children could even be encouraged to create their own alliterative phrase. Inspired by the flamingo in the book we came up with ‘five fancy flamingos fighting fires with fire engines’.

This would be a fabulous book to give to a new baby or a toddler who loves any kind of vehicle.

Age Range: 1+

Author / Illustrator: Gareth Lucas

Thank you to Little Tiger Press for sending us a copy of CHOO-CHOO PEEKABOO. We love the way that Gareth’s books provide so much scope for learning in a fun way.


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12 responses to “CHOO-CHOO PEEKABOO by Gareth Lucas”


  1. mumjd avatar

    It looks lovely. Bright, colourful with flaps. What more could anyone ask for? #readwithme


    1. Catherine avatar

      It is perfect for young children, the flaps are nice and sturdy too 🙂


  2. sarahmo3w avatar
    sarahmo3w

    This looks like a lovely book for my youngest nephew. The illustrations are very cute and funny.


    1. Catherine avatar

      The illustrations are brilliant and we love the way that Gareth has introduced original paintings into them.


  3. tiredbutcraftymummy avatar

    I have a young man who is obsessed with vehicles of all kinds. He would absolutely love this book. In fact, I may need to treat him to it! #MMBC


    1. Catherine avatar

      I hope he likes it, it’s a really fun read 🙂


  4. Chantelle Hazelden (@MamaMummyMum) avatar

    We had this book to review and found it thoroughly enjoyable to share with my youngest god daughter! #readwithme


    1. Catherine avatar

      It’s really fun isn’t it. Our three year old visitors enjoyed it last week too 🙂


  5. Kate on thin ice (@kateonthinice) avatar

    I think books are the part I miss most about when my now teenagers were tiny. I loved the noises, the action, the colours and the stories often with great messages about life. This looks fun and not an obvious story either. #ReadWithMe


    1. Catherine avatar

      I miss these early books too, there are so many great books for little ones to encourage them to enjoy reading 🙂


  6. BookBairn (@BookBairn) avatar

    I love Gareth Lucas’s illustrations! I loved his ABC and 123 books best. #readwithme


    1. Catherine avatar

      Yes, the Peekaboo books are great too. They all make early learning so much fun 🙂