The princess and the (greedy) pea

PreS-Gr 2--A book that combines humor, repetition, and vibrant illustrations to create an engaging reading experience. The story revolves around a mischievous pea who devours everything in his path, leaving a famished princess in his wake. A clever rhyming sequence keeps young readers entertained and helps them grasp fundamental concepts and patterns. The repetitive nature of the story is not only entertaining but also aids in cognitive development by encouraging children to speculate about what happens next. A great tool for early literacy, the story's rhythm and deliberate predictability make it an excellent choice for bedtime reading or classroom settings. The bright and bold illustrations further enhance the book's appeal. The visuals perfectly complement the narrative. VERDICT This engaging book fosters language development and cognitive skills in children. It's a must-have for anyone looking to provide an enjoyable and educational reading experience for little ones.--Jessica Calaway

A unique parody of an iconic, cumulative, rhyming nonsense song. An attractively decorated bowl is full of peas of varying hues, one of which sports big, round eyes, a huge mouth, and stick arms and legs. The pea exclaims, "I am SO hungry!" The following double-page spread sets up a pattern of the pea swallowing various comestibles--beginning with a brussels sprout--while on the next spread, the text details just what the pea has eaten, in a precise, easily memorized litany that ends each successive verse with, "Without a doubt, / he swallowed a sprout. / What's that about?" Each colorful spread adds another item to the pea's ever-hungry stomach, as well as new verbs, such as noshed and gobbled. As in some versions of "The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly," the gluttonous pea eventually meets his demise--in this case, via the princess from a well-known fairy tale. The vivid, entertaining visuals continue as the grumpy, tan-skinned princess observes the damage done by the pea's eating and drinking binge and then retires to a pile of mattresses made lumpy by the engorged pea who lies beneath. For readers familiar with both stories, the ending is much funnier than either tale on its own--although it also stands alone. The careful scansion replication allows readers to sing the text as a refreshing replacement of other versions. A superior revision. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.