A letter from a parent
A sly, funny little book. My son loves outsmarting the world right along with the rat.
Tara S.Mother of a six-year-old, Bengaluru
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Big Beetle Books · No. 04
Mr Peekaboo Rat.
A playful hide-and-seek story that builds observation, and a gentle sense of kindness
Sharper observation and visual tracking
More excitement during reading
Early, unforced signs of empathy
Rs. 349.00Rs. 399.00
12% offNo GST on books
Nandita can sign this one for your child by name. Add it in the cart.
What changes this week.
1.
Children start actively searching the pages.
2.
More "I found it!" moments of excitement.
3.
Longer attention span through visual tracking.
4.
Gentle conversations about kindness and letting go.
5.
The game continues past the last page.
Four small shifts this book sets in motion.
Focus.
Visual search builds real, sustained attention: the rat doesn't announce itself, the child has to look.
Emotional grounding.
Empathy is introduced through a simple choice at the story's end, never as a lesson, always as a feeling.
Curiosity.
"Where did the rat go?" is enough to carry a child through the whole book, and back to the start again.
Imagination.
Children extend the hide-and-seek game beyond the book, into rooms, cupboards, and the rest of the afternoon.
Before this book
Passive page-turning, waiting to be told what happens next.
Before
After a few readings
Actively searching, noticing, and: by the end: feeling something about what they find.
AfterDesigned for toddlers, ages 2–5·Built on visual tracking and repetition-based learning·Introduces empathy naturally, never preachy·Rooted in an everyday childhood game, hide and seek
A note for the reader
How to read this book.
№ 1
Read and pause: "Where is the rat?"
№ 2
Let your child search the page and point.
№ 3
Repeat the pattern: the anticipation builds each time.
№ 4
Use the ending to talk about kindness: "What would you do?"
From parents & young readers
Notes that have arrived in the post.
A letter from a parent
Short and clever: exactly right for a quick bedtime read that still has a wink in it.
Vikram J.Father of one, Gurgaon
From a teacher
The children adore this cheeky rat. A lovely way in to talking about choices and crumbs.
Rhea M.Primary educator, Chennai
What it quietly builds.
01
Focus
Visual tracking and attention.
02
Emotional awareness
Empathy and compassion.
03
Imagination
Extending hide-and-seek play.
04
Curiosity
Exploration and discovery.
On reading it again
Children get faster: and more excited, each time. The joy shifts from finding, to anticipating, to caring.
Is this book for my child?
Three ages, three different books.
2–3
The spotting age.
Spotting and naming. The rat is a game before it is a story.
3–4
The predicting age.
Predicting and searching with real anticipation, they know the rat is somewhere before you turn the page.
4–5
The choosing age.
Understanding empathy and choice. The ending starts real conversations, not just a turned page.
Not just a search book.
Most hide-and-seek books, and this one.
Typical search-and-find books
End the moment the object is found
Offer visual busyness without a feeling attached
Repeat the same trick every page
Are put down once the novelty of finding wears off
Mr Peekaboo Rat
Turns finding into feeling, by the last page
Combines attention and empathy in one simple arc
Rewards a second and third reading with real anticipation
Starts a real conversation about kindness
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From the studio · Bengaluru
Big Beetle Books is an independent children's imprint making screen-free picture books for the slow afternoon, written by Nandita Rao and illustrated by Charbak Dipta.
Complete the shelf
The same book, a different language.
Mr Peekaboo Rat's Hindi edition, and one playful pairing for a full afternoon.
Mr Peekaboo Rat
Board Book · Rs. 349.00 Rs. 399.00