Description: There’s trouble at Little Pea’s house: he hates eating his dinner…of candy! Still, his parents won’t let him have the spinach dessert he loves so much until he does so. Kids, even the ones who don’t put up a fuss at the table occasionally (if those even exist), will relish Little Pea. — Description by Ellen Foreman.

Genre:
Picture books for children

Tone:
Funny

Subject headings:
Peas
Picky eaters
Food habits
Spinach
Desserts
Vegetables

Other Contributors:
Corace, Jen, ill.

Author Characteristics:
Female
United States
American

Accelerated Reader: IL: LG, BL: 1.7, AR Pts: 0.5

School Library Journal:
PreS-Gr 2 –Little Pea is happy. There are many things he likes to do, such as roll down hills and hang out with his friends. There is one thing, though, that he does not like, and that is to eat candy as the main course every night for dinner. He struggles through, reluctantly swallowing not just one piece but five, in order to have his favorite dessert–spinach. This simple story is a twist on the age-old admonishment that children everywhere hear each evening. The ink-and-watercolor illustrations are as spare as the text, featuring a small, yellow-green pea in a loving family. Each uncluttered page has plenty of white space. Picky eaters will enjoy the subtle humor of this topsy-turvy tale.–Wendy Woodfill, Hennepin County Library, Minnetonka, MN –Wendy Woodfill (Reviewed May 1, 2005) (School Library Journal, vol 51, issue 5, p95)

Publishers Weekly:
Peas, the oft-reviled legumes that can make dinnertime a battle, take center plate in Rosenthal’s (Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life, for adults) silly picture book about food choices—and picky eaters—turned topsy-turvy. Little Pea enjoys an ordinary life with his parents and pea pals playing, reading stories and getting lovingly tucked into bed. But the one thing Little Pea has trouble with is candy, the icky entrée that his parents insist he eat for dinner each night. As Mama and Papa Pea say, “If you want to grow up to be a big strong pea” or have dessert, candy must be eaten. Once Little Pea whines through his required five-piece serving of sweets, he’s happy to top off his torture with a special treat—spinach! Young readers will take glee in Little Pea ‘s absurd yet familiar predicament, while parents will surely identify with Mama and Papa Pea’s universal struggle. Newcomer Corace’s warmhearted ink-and-watercolor paintings plays up the most of ample white space, which plays up the vibrant greenness of the Pea family. Images of tiny, bouncing peas playing hopscotch, and Papa Pea flipping his boy off the end of a spoon are especially memorable. Kids are likely to view their veggies with new eyes when mealtime rolls around. Ages 3-up. (May) –Staff (Reviewed May 9, 2005) (Publishers Weekly, vol 252, issue 19, p69)

Kirkus:
/* Starred Review */ A crowd-pleaser in the tradition of Mitchell Sharmat’s Gregory, The Terrible Eater (1980), illustrated by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey, this simply told and illustrated episode features both a decidedly atypical family (all head, no body) facing a familiar dinnertime issue, and a delicious final twist. Little Pea ‘s generally a happy legume, hanging with friends, rolling down hills and being catapulted off a spoon by Papa Pea—but meals are always fraught, for Little Pea hates candy, which as you know (you didn’t?) is all that peas eat. “If you don’t finish your candy, you can’t have dessert,” says Mama Pea. Negotiating his quota down to five cellophane-wrapped pieces, Little Pea proceeds to choke them down—”Three. Plck. Four. Pleh.”—then jumps for joy at dessert’s arrival—a heaping bowl of spinach. Expect bursts of hilarity from young listeners, picky eaters or no. (Picture book. 3-5) (Kirkus Reviews, May 1, 2005)

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(hide spoiler)] description : There ‘s trouble at Little Pea ‘s house : he hates eating his dinner … of sugarcoat ! still, his parents wo n’t let him have the spinach dessert he loves so much until he does then. Kids, even the ones who do n’t put up a dither at the table occasionally ( if those flush exist ), will relish Little Pea. — description by Ellen Foreman.Genre : photograph books for childrenTone : FunnySubject headings : PeasPicky eatersFood habitsSpinachDessertsVegetablesOther Contributors : Corace, Jen, ill.Author Characteristics : FemaleUnited StatesAmericanAccelerated reader : illinois : LG, BL : 1.7, AR Pts : 0.5School Library Journal : PreS-Gr 2 –Little Pea is happy. There are many things he likes to do, such as roll down hills and hang out with his friends. There is one thing, though, that he does not like, and that is to eat candy as the main course every night for dinner. He struggles through, reluctantly swallowing not good one piece but five, in order to have his favorite dessert–spinach. This simple narrative is a flex on the age-old admonition that children everywhere hear each even. The ink-and-watercolor illustrations are vitamin a spare as the textbook, featuring a small, yellow-green pea in a love family. Each uncluttered page has enough of white space. finical eaters will enjoy the subtle temper of this higgledy-piggledy tale.–Wendy Woodfill, Hennepin County Library, Minnetonka, MN — Wendy Woodfill ( Reviewed May 1, 2005 ) ( School Library Journal, vol 51, issue 5, p95 ) Publishers weekly : Peas, the oft-reviled legumes that can make dinnertime a conflict, take center plate in Rosenthal ‘s ( Encyclopedia of an ordinary life, for adults ) airheaded painting reserve about food choices—and finical eaters—turned disorderly. little Pea enjoys an ordinary life sentence with his parents and pea pals playing, reading stories and getting fondly tucked into bed. But the one thing Little Pea has trouble oneself with is sugarcoat, the icky entrée that his parents insist he eat for dinner each night. As Mama and Papa Pea say, “ If you want to grow up to be a big strong pea ” or have dessert, sugarcoat must be eaten. once little Pea whines through his needed five-piece helping of sweets, he ‘s felicitous to top off his distortion with a particular treat—spinach ! Young readers will take hilarity in Little Pea ‘s absurd however familiar predicament, while parents will surely identify with Mama and Papa Pea ‘s universal struggle. Newcomer Corace ‘s warmhearted ink-and-watercolor paintings plays up the most of ample white space, which plays up the vibrant greenness of the Pea family. Images of bantam, bouncing peas playing hopscotch, and Papa Pea flipping his boy off the end of a spoon are particularly memorable. Kids are probable to view their veggies with modern eyes when mealtime rolls around. Ages 3-up. ( May ) — Staff ( Reviewed May 9, 2005 ) ( Publishers Weekly, vol 252, issue 19, p69 ) Kirkus : /* Starred Review */ A crowd-pleaser in the custom of Mitchell Sharmat ‘s Gregory, The severe Eater ( 1980 ), illustrated by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey, this plainly assure and illustrate sequence features both a decidedly atypical class ( all head, no body ) facing a conversant dinnertime emergence, and a delightful final examination writhe. Little Pea ‘s by and large a happy legume, hanging with friends, rolling down hills and being catapulted off a spoon by Papa Pea—but meals are always fraught, for Little Pea hates candy, which as you know ( you did n’t ? ) is all that pea eat. “ If you do n’t finish your sugarcoat, you ca n’t have dessert, ” says Mama Pea. Negotiating his quota down to five cellophane-wrapped pieces, Little Pea proceeds to choke them down— ” Three. Plck. Four. Pleh. “ —then rise for joy at dessert ‘s arrival—a heaping bowl of spinach. have a bun in the oven bursts of hilarity from young listeners, finical eaters or no. ( picture book. 3-5 ) ( Kirkus Reviews, May 1, 2005 )