View source for Peas! by Andy Cullen and Simon Rickerty

{{infobox2
|title=Peas!
|author=Andy Cullen and Simon Rickerty
|reviewer=Keith Dudhnath
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=The story of peas from seed to tummy. A great introduction to where food comes from for the youngest book fans.
|rating=4
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=32
|publisher=Puffin
|date=July 2009
|isbn=978-0141502588
|aznuk=0141502584
|aznus=0141502584
|cover=0141502584
}}

The farmer sows the seed from which Penelope and Pete Pea grow. They're picked, packed, delivered, bought, cooked and eaten, and we follow them on every step of their journey.

''Peas!'' is a great introduction to where food comes from. It's told simply, clearly and interestingly. Despite the matter-of-fact style, the simple act of giving the peas faces gives them character and makes you care about what's happening to them. It would be very easy for ''Peas!'' to be a dry piece of non-fiction, but even looking beyond the brilliantly cheesy 'give peas a chance' pun, this is an enjoyable read.

Simon Rickerty has a tricky job in making a book about little green circles look good, but he more than succeeds. His illustrations are simple, but they ooze character. They also ably support the text in fostering an understanding of the picking, podding and packaging process. Any very young book fans will love poring over the pages and will learn plenty from it. They'll better understand their place in the world - an impressive feat in a book aimed at ones so young.

''Peas!'' does end a little suddenly, but it would be hard to make too much of the main characters being chewed and digested. It's the nature of the beast that non-fiction for this age range will tend to be less satisfying than fiction. Judged against its immediate peers, ''Peas!'' is a fine addition to your bookshelf, but it's not the sort of book that you'll want to read every day. Nontheless, it's still warmly recommended.

My thanks to the publishers for sending it to Bookbag.

[[What Do People Do All Day? by Richard Scarry]] is a perfect slice of non-fiction that every child will love. If you've got a hankering for more peas (and who could blame you?) then there's a cameo appearance by a pea in [[Don't Read This Book! by Jill Lewis and Deborah Allwright]]. [[Give Peas a Chance by Morris Gleitzman]] deserves a mention for older readers too.

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[[Category:Children's Non-Fiction]]
[[Category:Andy Cullen]]
[[Category:Simon Rickerty]]