The Princess and the (Greedy) Pea

Leigh Hodgkinson, Leigh Hodgkinson (Illustrator)

$17.99

Publication Date: December 5th, 2023

Publisher:

Candlewick

ISBN:

9781536231328

Pages:

Usually Ships in 1 to 5 Days

What do you do when your child has outgrownThe Very Hungry Caterpillar? You give themThe Princess and the (Greedy) Pea. The repetition, solid rhythm, and word play make this a fun read!

Lea Bickerton, The Tiny Bookstore, Pittsburgh, PA

January/February 2024 Kids' Indie Next List

Description

A gluttonous pea runs afoul of a very hungry princess in this playful cautionary tale inspired by a favorite cumulative rhyme and a classic fairy tale.

There was a green pea who swallowed a sprout. Without a doubt, a brussels sprout. What’s that about?

This little pea is hungry! So hungry it swallows a sprout, slurps up some soup, munches the bread, gobbles the cake, noshes the pickle, guzzles the cheese, drinks all the tea, and even chomps down the table it’s all served on. After all that, it needs to sleep. But whose dinner did it steal? And whose mattress is the now-humungous pea resting under? With bold, delightfully detailed illustrations and a bouncy verse perfect for reading aloud, this wickedly funny mash-up of “The Princess and the Pea” and “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly” will have little listeners clamoring for multiple helpings.

About the Author

Leigh Hodgkinson is an author, illustrator, animation director, designer, and TV creator. She was the art director for the television series Charlie and Lola and is the cocreator and designer of the show Olobob Top. The author and illustrator of several picture books, she was born in Zimbabwe, grew up in the UK, and now lives in East Sussex with her husband, two children, two cats, and a very silly dog.

Praise for The Princess and the (Greedy) Pea

A unique parody of an iconic, cumulative, rhyming nonsense song. . . . 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.
—Kirkus Reviews

This picture book takes its whimsically nonsensical premise and pairs it with a catching cumulative rhyme and “The Princess and the Pea” fairy tale. . . sure to have kiddos giggling and chanting along at an ideally pre-lunch storytime.
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

The Princess and the (Greedy) Pea is a slyly funny, wonderfully rendered reimagining of children’s classics that will have kids clamoring for a reread—and a giant bowl of green peas, too. . . a visual feast of a picture book replete with vibrant colors, intricate patterns and expressive characters.
—BookPage

A book that combines humor, repetition, and vibrant illustrations to create an engaging reading experience. . . . A clever rhyming sequence keeps young readers entertained and helps them grasp fundamental concepts and patterns. . . . 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.
—School Library Journal