EAT YOUR PEAS

A child’s staunch refusal to eat her peas and her mother’s elaborate enticement is the basis for this zany but telling tale. Readers will instantly recognize the scenario: Daisy sits at the table facing down “the little green balls that were ganging up on her plate” while her frazzled mother attempts to get her to eat. A seemingly harmless proposition of ice cream as a reward begins an avalanche of absurdity as Daisy’s desperate mother soon offers all kinds of outrageous treats. “If you eat your peas, you can have 48 dishes of ice cream, stay up past midnight, you never have to wash again, I’ll buy you two new bikes, and a baby elephant.” However, “I don’t like peas,” remains Daisy’s steadfast reply. The predicament is resolved as Daisy slyly negotiates that she will eat her peas if her mom eats her own untouched Brussels sprouts—at which point they agree to eat some ice cream instead. Sharratt’s (The Time It Took Tom, 2000, etc.) colorful, computer-aided illustrations humorously underscore the hilarity of the situation. Each time Daisy’s mom offers a bribe, a picture of the item appears next to the text; consequently, as she offers more and more bribes, her image shrinks accordingly to accommodate the pictures and text. Conversely, the image of Daisy looms larger as she gains more control. Parents and caregivers may inwardly cringe, but preschoolers will love the increasingly exorbitant bribes Daisy’s mom proffers. While this may not convert any readers into avid pea fans, the underlying message that everyone has individual tastes should help to diffuse dinnertime tensions. (Picture book. 3-6)