- Board Books
- Ages 1–4
- Comedy
Monsters Play... Peekaboo!
Book 1 of 3 in The World of GustavoView the full series
A stylish monster-themed lift-the-flap board book for very young children, built around peekaboo, funny noises and gentle spooky play. It extends the Gustavo world into baby/toddler territory without the fuller emotional arc of the main picture books.
- Best for1–4
- FormatBoard
- Length24 pp
- Read aloud~4 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Repetitive
- Onomatopoeic
- Comedic
Tone
- Funny
- Silly
- Warm
- Whimsical
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
The monsters from Flavia Z. Drago's bright, patterned world are ready to play peekaboo. Hidden beneath flaps are silly, friendly creatures waiting to be discovered, each bringing a noise, surprise or tiny moment of monster fun. This is a spin-off board book rather than a full narrative picture book, so the appeal is tactile and interactive: lifting flaps, joining in with sounds, shouting peekaboo and enjoying the stylish monster artwork. The spooky elements are playful rather than frightening, making it suitable for babies and toddlers who enjoy Halloween-ish imagery but need a safe, happy tone. For the database, it should be treated as a World of Gustavo tie-in: useful for younger siblings, gift baskets, early libraries and families who already love Gustavo, Leila or Vlad.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 1–4
- Read aloud · 1–4
- Independent · 3–5
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Excellent
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Bedtime
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
4 / 5 · Bedtime-friendly
Sensitive-child
4 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Baby board book
- Lift the flap
- Gentle spooky
- Peekaboo book
- Gorgeous design
Avoid if
- Wants full story
- Dislikes flap books
- Wants older picture book
Particularly good for children who are…
- Bedtime battles
- Nightmares or fears
- Starting nursery or preschool
In the classroom
How it works in school.
Bright, rhyming monster board books — made for reading aloud and joining in with the very youngest.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific delight is the lift-the-flap — friendly monsters with funny noises hiding under each flap, peekaboo and skeleton and werewolf in the gentlest mode. The Drago monster-world board book for the baby's first Halloween-ish read.
- Magic powers
- Secret world
- Friendship and belonging
Why parents love it
The Drago peekaboo board book — interactive flaps and monster sounds, spooky imagery kept playful and safe, World of Gustavo tie-in for younger siblings. Reliable first peekaboo book with proper visual style.
- Beautiful illustrations
- Quick to read
- Shared humour
- Bedtime appropriate
In the series
The World of Gustavo.
3 books · open the series →
About the author & illustrator
Flavia Z. Drago.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
More like this…
Books that share themes and topics with this one.
Where you’ll find it
On these reading lists.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
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