Invite an infant to sit on your lap to read a book. Introduce the book by pointing to and describing the picture on the book’s cover. Encourage the infant to look at the picture with you. Example: “See the picture of the baby? Our book is about babies playing Peekaboo with their toys. We can touch some of the pages and feel the babies’ toys! Let’s read the book and play Peekaboo!” Use the following strategies to engage the infant in the book:

• Invite the infant to help you turn the pages. Turn the pages as slowly or as quickly as the infant seems to prefer.
• Point to and name pictured objects. Example: “Look at this baby. This is the baby’s ear. The baby is wondering where the bunny’s ears are. Should we look under the flap and see? (Lift the flap.) Peekaboo! Here are the ears!”
• Invite the infant to touch textures under the flaps. Point to items you describe. Example: “Here is the teddy bear’s nose. The nose is soft and squishy. Here, you can touch the teddy bear’s nose! How does it feel?”
• Describe what the infant is looking at. Example: “You are looking at a dinosaur. The dinosaur has shiny red toes! Would you like to touch the dinosaur’s shiny toes?”
• Spend more time talking about the pictures that seem to be of particular interest to the infant.
• Describe and respond to gestures and/or vocalizations. Example: “You are smiling and cooing at the baby. You like playing Peekaboo with the babies!”
• Help the infant connect book information to his/her own experiences. Examples: “You like to play Peekaboo! We play Peekaboo together when we change your diaper!” “You are touching the baby doll’s eyes. The doll’s eyes are blue. You have blue eyes, too! Where are your eyes? Let’s find them!”
• Create anticipation as you slowly lift the flap, and then show enthusiasm as you say “peekaboo!” and reveal the picture underneath. Example: “Are you ready to play Peekaboo? What do you think we will see? You can help me lift the flap!”

Recognize the infant’s participation in the book reading. Example: “We had fun reading this book together, Imani. We looked at pictures of babies. You smiled and kicked your legs when we played Peekaboo with the babies’ toys! You had fun helping me lift the flaps. We found eyes, and ears, and toes! I think you liked this book.”

Invite an older infant to read a book with you. The infant may wish to sit next to you or stand close while you read. Invite the infant to help hold the book, turn pages, and lift flaps.

Once the infant is comfortable and ready to share the book, point to the picture on the book cover. Example: “Look at the picture of the baby. Our book is about babies playing Peekaboo with their toys! We will find the babies’ toys. We can touch the toys!” Use the following strategies to engage the infant in the book:

• Point to and label pictured objects. Example: “These are the baby’s toes. The baby wants to find the dinosaur’s toes. Should we lift the flap and find the dinosaur’s toes? Here, you can lift the flap. Peekaboo! Here are the dinosaur’s toes!”
• Invite the infant to point to objects that you name. Example: “The baby wants to find the bunny’s ears. The baby has ears, too. Where is the baby’s ear? You can point to the baby’s ear!”
• Spend more time talking about pictures that seem to be of particular interest to the infant. Example: “You are pointing to the bunny’s ears. The bunny’s ears are long and soft. You can touch the bunny’s ears. How do they feel?”
• Describe and respond to gestures and/or vocalizations. Example: “You said boo! You are playing Peekaboo with the babies. We found the baby doll’s eyes! Peekaboo!”
• Help the infant connect book information to his/her own experiences. Examples (with appropriate pointing): “The baby has eyes. You have eyes! Let’s find your eyes.” “The baby has a nose. You have a nose! Let’s find your nose. You can point to your nose!”
• Accentuate the word peekaboo and encourage the infant to say a version of the word with you, especially when a flap is lifted. Example: “Are you ready to lift the flap? You can say peekaboo with me! Here we go. Let’s see what we find!”
• Recognize the infant’s participation in the book reading. Example: “You helped me hold our book, Eric. You looked at the pictures of the babies. You lifted the flaps and helped me say peekaboo! You found the baby at the end of the book. You pointed to the baby’s eyes and ears. Then you found your eyes and ears!”