Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet and Allan Ahlberg (Viking, 1978) is a wonderful take on both Nursery Rhymes and the fun game “I Spy.” On each page is a simple rhyming phrase, with a picture opposite with someone for us to look for.
For example, the first page says “Each Peach Pear Plum / I Spy Tom Thumb.” In the picture, we see peach, pear, and plum trees, and Tom Thumb is hiding in the branches. The fairy tale characters who appear include the Three Bears, Baby Bunting, Mother Hubbard, Cinderella, Jack and Jill, Little Bo Peep, and more. In the end, all come together for a picnic in that same fruit orchard.
I loved how this author/illustrator team focused on such a variety of beloved characters (both fairy tales and nursery rhyme characters), and I love how each page has a hidden friend to find. My baby loved finding Baby Bunting. She stopped on that page and said “baby” for about five minutes while my son and I went on to the next book.
Mama’s Note: Friday nights are “fun night” for our family. Usually, this means we watch a family/kid friendly movie. Recently, now that my son is five, we’re branching out to board games. (When the favorite board game was Candy Land, I really did not like that option every week.) Today, my requested that instead, we read books together.
Yes, my five-year-old son wanted to spend an hour and a half reading with me. This is why I did my 1000 books project with him, and why I’m doing it all over again with my baby. Reading together as a family truly is fun. I’ve grown my son into what I am certain will be a life-long reader.
