Orange Juice Peas!

PreS-Gr 1—Ben has some fun at the expense of his little sister, who is just learning how to talk. Jessie tries to be polite, saying "peas" when she means "please." Unfortunately, their babysitter, Rachel, does not understand baby talk. When Jessie asks for "orange juice peas," Rachel considers this an odd request but dutifully adds a few peas to the glass of OJ. Jessie sees the floating green things, yells "Yack!" and asks for "boon peas." Smirking Ben translates "spoon" but leaves off the other word, so Jessie is given a spoonful of peas. This scenario repeats with milk and dessert, until Ben finally takes pity on his suffering sister and perplexed babysitter and offers an explanation. The story is accompanied by soft illustrations of adorable, rosy-cheeked children whose facial expressions clearly convey their feelings of frustration, amusement, and confusion. The large, clear type makes the book a good choice for one-on-one sharing. The book's Scottish setting is reflected in some of the British terms used in the text, such as "tea" for dinner and "pudding" for dessert, and children may wonder why the father is wearing a skirt (kilt).—Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT