Review (Book) - Peeps! : Recipes and Crafts to Make with Your Favorite Marshmallow Treat by Charity Ferreira

"They're cute. They're tasty. They're marshmallowy good. In this delightful books, PEEPS take center stage in fun crafts and sweet treats for the whole family." (back cover)

I was first inspired to pick-up Peeps! when I saw a library program that used Peeps to turn a plain shoebox into a scene from a book or movie. When I saw this specific Peeps! book featured in a Pack-o-Fun magazine, I thought it was fate, and had the book ILLed to me.

The cover is great - it sparkles. And if you've read my review on Little Honey Bear and the Smiley Moon, you know how much we love glitter at my library. However, that's about the extent of the book's greatness. The title of the book should be something more along the lines of "Random Places to Place Your Peeps". Maybe I just went into the book with expectations too high, expecting the whole book to be full of brilliant ideas like Peep Dioramas, but most of the book was a let-down. The author includes a brief history of Peeps before the "recipes" and "crafts", Peep resouces, and patterns for the crafts that require them.

The Peep "recipes" are mostly just recipes for desserts, then you stick a peep on top or nearby. However, the "Peepsicles" and "Peeps after dark" look cute, as they are actually covered in and/or coated with chocolate and other toppings.
*Be forewarned, pages 36-37 contain "Peeps in a blanket" and may be disturbing to young children. Pages 40-41 contain "molten chocolate Peep cakes" where the birds look like they are stuck and screaming for their little Peep-lives as they slowly dissolve into the dessert.
**Please note that I didn't actually make any of the desserts. I am not insulting any of the recipes, and, in fact, I think I might even try the molten chocolate Peep cake (minus the Peeps). The dessert recipes may be to die for, but my review is based on the Peeps aspect, as I got the book for Peeps ideas, not a dessert cookbook. 

Again, the extent of most of the "crafts" are to just stick something on the Peep or stick the Peep on something, but there are a few cute ideas like making garland, centerpieces, and leis with Peeps.
Or just create a giant sugar cookie Peep coop to store all your Peeps.

Even though I found the book disappointing, I've seen them for just over $5 online, so you might still consider getting it for your collection, especially for those who may not have much of a creative gene. You can find Amazon's listing here.

My Rating: