I bought this puzzle for my one year old nephew for christmas, so it's not been opened yet, but it is so lovely! The colours are bright and when my 3 year old daughter saw it she wanted to play. There are no pegs on the pieces, but they are chunky and stick out quite a bit so easy to hold/pick up. They also have the added bonus of being able to stand up on their own so the child can play with them like they were animal figures. I really love this puzzle - as I do most Melissa and Doug toys, and would definitely recommend it. I wish I'd bought one for my daughter when she was younger - it would have been one of the few toys I decided to keep. In short - buy one!