Common Sense Media Review
By Regan McMahon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Brother of Pinkalicious builds tower in quirky adventure.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
In PETERRIFIC, Pikalicious' little brother finally gets his own story instead of being a helper in hers. He decides to build a giant tower out of blocks so high he can "get a star from the sky and give it to Mommy." He claims he wants to build it "all by myself," but Pinkalicious helps him and borrows more blocks from a neighbor. Peter ends up stopping once he gets close to the moon and remembers that he's "all alone" and it's dark and cold and he's hungry. But he spends the night up there and in the morning makes a parachute ouf of blankets and floats back down to his yard, where his parents and Pinkalicious are waiting. He doesn't get in trouble. In fact his dad encourages him to build another tower after he redesigns it. "Your next tower should be a little smaller and safer, and you will definitely need a proper way to get down," says Mommy.
Is It Any Good?
It's nice for Peter to get his own picture book, but this story has a few things that don't add up. Peterrific, like the Pinkalicious books, mixes everyday kid behavior with fantasy elements to create an appealing story. But this one's a bit odd, with mixed messages about doing something "all by myself" but getting help and fearlessly completing a great engineering feat -- building a tower to the stars out of blocks -- but facing no consequences, neither injury nor punishment for going rogue and doing something risky.
It's a puzzling adventure, but kids will probably enjoy Peter's skill and enthusiasm, the colorful building project, and the sweet sibling bond, and they'll absorb the cautionary message that when you choose to do something alone, you could end up feeling lonely.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Peter's desire to build a tower "all by myself" in Peterrific. Have you ever felt like showing you can do something extraordinary without other people's help? How did it make you feel, if you were able to do it?
What's the downside of doing something by yourself? Do you think you might get lonely like Peter does?
Peter and Pinkalicious get along well. Do you get along with your brother or sister? What kinds of projects have you worked on together?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Victoria Kann
- Genre : Picture Book
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures , Family Stories ( Siblings )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Harper
- Publication date : May 2, 2017
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 4 - 8
- Available on : Hardback
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate