1-2-3 Peas

Starred review from May 14, 2012
The bipedal green peas that starred in LMNO Peas return in a lively counting romp. Interacting with large, brightly colored numerals, the peas plant seeds, hammer nails into a wooden platform, and jump into a pool: “Five peas painting—/ brush, brush, brush,/ Six peas traveling—/ rush, rush, rush.” The peas skip rope as numbers 11 through 19 are clustered onto one spread (“skip, skip, skip”), before the book begins counting by tens and the commotion rockets, bringing readers up to 100. Baker’s energizing graphics are as joyful and fresh as in the first book, anthropomorphizing the peas in spreads that burst with personality. Ages 3–7.

Starred review from June 15, 2012
After an alphabetical, rhyming tour de force (LMNO Peas, 2010), Baker's energetic pea pack is back--this time, to count by ones and 10s. Baker sidesteps the trickiness of rhyming the numerals by selecting a repeating word for each short verse. "ONE pea searching--look, look, look, / TWO peas fishing--hook, hook, hook." Those numerals rise sky-high (to peas, at least) to dominate the digitally composed visuals, often serving as props for the frenzy of vegetative activity. At "TEN peas building--pound, pound, pound," the peas erect a wooden platform around the numeral--mainly, it would seem, as an excuse for exuberantly hammering dozens of nails. Baker circumvents those oft-pesky 'teens in one deft double-page spread: "Eleven to nineteen--skip, skip, skip!" Then it's a double-page spread per decade, with peas traveling, napping, watching fireworks and more. "SEVENTY peas singing" provide a bevy of details to spy: A fab foursome (the Peatles) rocks out above a chorus and director. Nearby, a barbershop quartet, a Wagnerian soloist, a showering pea and a dancing "Peayonce" add to the fun. Whether they're counting scores of peas, enjoying the rhymes and puns or relishing the funny visual quirks, families are sure to devour Baker's latest winner. Totally ap-pea-ling! (Picture book. 3-7)

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July 1, 2012

PreS-Gr 1-This colorful counting book features the same cast of characters introduced in Baker's LMNO Peas (S & S, 2010). This time, the peas are out and about engaging in all sorts of imaginative activities that the "pea-wee" crowd might enjoy: planting, painting, dancing on stage, building, fishing, singing, etc. As youngsters browse the pages, they can count along from 1 to 20, then to 100 by tens. Each page features a large numeral and a representative number of peas in and around that number. For example, 70 ("SEVENTY peas singing-la, la, la") presents a rock band (the Peatles) staged on top of the seven, a pea singing in the shower, a choir, and a soloist named Pea yonce. On the other hand, 40 ("FORTY peas napping-sleep, sleep, sleep") displays forty peas napping peacefully alongside their piles of books. Children will also enjoy checking for other details, such as the ladybug hidden on each spread. The digitally rendered illustrations are presented in eye-catching shades of blue, orange, green, red, and more. With so much illustrated detail, this book is best suited for one-on-one sharing, and children will enjoy returning time and again to discover the visual surprises or humorous touches hidden in the book's pages.-Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2013
In this inevitable follow-up to Baker's successful [cf2]LMNO Peas[cf1], the little legumes cavort on or around giant numerals corresponding with their increasing-by-the-page numbers. Basic rhymes describe the jovial peas' activities ("Nine peas dancing--[cf2]round, round, round[cf1], / Ten peas building--[cf2]pound, pound, pound[cf1]"); the illustrations are memorable and amusing (four bewigged "Peatles" rock out for "Seventy peas singing--[cf2]la, la, la[cf1]").

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)