LMNO pea-quel
(Book)

We are peas alphabet peas! / Busy again in the abcs. This latest Peas series entry is a pea-quel to the pea characters' alphabet-themed first title, LMNO Peas (2010), here showcasing letters in their lowercase, rather than uppercase, form, and again featuring peas in a host of letter-related occupations and activities, a (We're architects, authors, and actors . . . .) to z (zippers on a zip line, an adventurous pea traversing between letters). Many will be familiar to kids (firefighters, pirates), while others are occasionally clarified in the text (We're ichthyologists we study fish!). Some may need explaining like cowpokes, hippies, and, somewhat jarringly, jailbirds, depicting frowning peas in black-and-white stripes behind bars while others presume prior knowledge of pop culture, like superhero X-Peas. It all ends on an upbeat note, however, with What will we be now? / So many possibili-peas! In Baker's lively illustrations, filled with droll details, his now iconic anthropomorphized peas are all bright-hued and animated, and they clamber all over oversize, blocky letters. Another highly enjoyable Peas title filled with bouncy rhymes, a playful approach, and plenty of entertainment.--Rosenfeld, Shelle Copyright 2017 Booklist

PreS-Time for roll call of the lowercase letters of the alphabet in the newest title in the series. The wee peas alphabetically explore activities and occupations on full spreads of building-size letters in Baker's familiar perky colors. The rhymes rollick and the peas cavort around letters that stand for jobs, from the familiar ("We're golfers on the greens-We're groomers and garbage collectors-our work is never done") to the likely lesser known ("We're ichthyologists-we study fish!-and we're ice-cream scoopers."). Vivid facial expressions and costumes make each pea unique. Jailbirds grimace, and kite gliders fly open-mouthed. Soon after the X-Peas (superheroes) flaunt their powers, the cast wonder, "What will we be now?" The answer, of course, "so many possibili-peas!" VERDICT An appealing option for a lapsit so that readers and listeners may leisurely investigate all the pea-ple.-Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Baker's industrious pea-ple are back for a fifth tour, this time delivering an A-to-Z look at work and play.Colorful, digitally textured lowercase letters loom large against white space, cleverly integrated into the action. Firefighters use a ladder truck to train a hose on a small fire high atop the letter F. An Sstrapped to the roof of a school bus filled with book-toting studentssports a row of saluting soldiers up on top. Among the standard community helpers, from architects to window washers, Baker inserts a bit of whimsy: there are pirates, a queen, and five "X-Peas" exhibiting their superpowers. There's some deliberate, anthropomorphized diversity: a violinist is female (or at least has a ponytail) and uses a wheelchair; one soldier appears female (with hair in a bun), and most work crews have some female peas (so to speak). Genders are suggested by hairstyles, props, and purses. Depicting "jailbirds" for J seems jarringly tone-deaf. Three peas in stereotyped black-and-white striped uniforms peer sadly from a multilevel barred building topped with barbed wire; the letter itself is also incarcerated. (A guard snoozes in a chair below, while a smiling janitor mops the floor.) Admittedly, there's fun for kids to discover herefrom the vegetable horde's teeming activities to a ladybug that appears on each double-page spreadbut the text scans erratically, making for clunky read-alouds. Perhaps these peas have simply pea-tered out. (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

"We are peas—alphabet peas! / Busy again in the abcs." This latest Peas series entry is a "pea-quel" to the pea characters' alphabet-themed first title, LMNO Peas (2010), here showcasing letters in their lowercase, rather than uppercase, form, and again featuring peas in a host of letter-related occupations and activities, "a" ("We're architects, authors, and actors . . . .") to "z" ("zippers on a zip line," an adventurous pea traversing between letters). Many will be familiar to kids (firefighters, pirates), while others are occasionally clarified in the text ("We're ichthyologists—we study fish!"). Some may need explaining—like "cowpokes," "hippies," and, somewhat jarringly, "jailbirds," depicting frowning peas in black-and-white stripes behind bars—while others presume prior knowledge of pop culture, like superhero "X-Peas." It all ends on an upbeat note, however, with "What will we be now? / So many possibili-peas!" In Baker's lively illustrations, filled with droll details, his now iconic anthropomorphized peas are all bright-hued and animated, and they clamber all over oversize, blocky letters. Another highly enjoyable Peas title filled with bouncy rhymes, a playful approach, and plenty of entertainment. Copyright 2017 Booklist Reviews.

PreS—Time for roll call of the lowercase letters of the alphabet in the newest title in the series. The wee peas alphabetically explore activities and occupations on full spreads of building-size letters in Baker's familiar perky colors. The rhymes rollick and the peas cavort around letters that stand for jobs, from the familiar ("We're golfers on the greens—We're groomers and garbage collectors—our work is never done") to the likely lesser known ("We're ichthyologists—we study fish!—and we're ice-cream scoopers."). Vivid facial expressions and costumes make each pea unique. Jailbirds grimace, and kite gliders fly open-mouthed. Soon after the X-Peas (superheroes) flaunt their powers, the cast wonder, "What will we be now?" The answer, of course, "so many possibili-peas!" VERDICT An appealing option for a lapsit so that readers and listeners may leisurely investigate all the pea-ple.—Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA