Peapod’s Picks: late and lazy!

Peapod’s Picks is a weekly round up of some of the books that Peapod* has read (usually for his bedtime story) each week plus a review of at least one of them.*His social media alter ego, not his real name!

This week has been a long one. Peapod and I have both been full of cold. So, I’m a day late and it’s a round up rather than a single review this week. Please take pity on my poor knackered self and let me off!

What did we read this week?

Ten Terrible Dinosaurs by Paul Stickland

After reading Dinosaur Roar last week, we bought this one too. We enjoyed it, but as a Dino book we’d stick with the original Dinosaur Roar book, and as a counting book, we’d go for Ten Little Dinosaurs from Mike Brownlow and Simon Rickerty.)

I Totally Don’t Want to Play by Ann Bonwill and Simon Rickerty

We bought this after reading about Hugo and Bella’s fancy dress antics in I Don’t Want to be a Pea, which we thought was fab. Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite match it – it was still an enjoyable enough read, but it lacked some of the humour of Pea.

Pants! by Giles Andreae and Nick Sharratt

Who doesn’t love a pants-themed picture book?! See more here!)

Delicious! by Helen Cooper

I am such a huge fan of the Pumpkin Soup trilogy. It always upsets me that every child at some point will do Pumpkin Soup at Halloween/Autumn in nursery or school but they never seem to read the others. If you only know the first book, please give Delicious and A Pipkin of Pepper a read too!

Julian is a Mermaid by Jessica Love

I’d heard great things about this, and it’s been shortlisted for the illustrated category of the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize so I had high hopes. I wasn’t disappointed – it’s wonderful; simply told with beautiful illustrations that are a brilliant mixture of the fantastic and the realistic, this is an empowering, positive and joyful read.

A Bit Lost by Chris Haughton

We ended last week reading Owl Babies because of Bill’s cries of “I want my mummy!” which feel very apt at the moment! So we followed it up with A Bit Lost in which baby owl falls off his branch and has to find his mum again with the help of a keen but not overly perceptive squirrel.

I’m a big Chris Haughton fan (Shhh! We Have a Plan is my favourite and Goodnight Everyone is our afternoon nap read) and this has all the things you’d expect – fab, slightly quirky illustrations with his unique style and palette (which Peapod loved), a repetitive pattern and humour especially in the ending. Also owls serving biscuits.

Have you read any of these?

Which picture books or bedtime stories did you read this week?

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Peapod’s Picks – I Don’t Want to Be a Pea!

Peapod’s Picks is a weekly round up of some of the books that Peapod* has read (usually for his bedtime story) each week plus a review of at least one of them.

*His social media alter ego, not his real name!

This week:

I Don’t Want to Be a Pea by Ann Bonwill, illustrated by Simon Rickerty

So, as you know (or have just found out) our nickname for Peapod has always been Peapod. It began when I was pregnant and he was the size of a peapod and despite becoming quite considerably bigger, the name just stuck! So anything pea or peapod related we have to have (I bought him a wonderful ‘Peapod’ book for Christmas, Peapod Lullaby, that I’ve just realised I haven’t put up on here, so will post about that soon!)

We found this at a tiny stall on a local jumble trail and I picked it up solely because of the pea thing. I’d never heard of it before, but for 50p it was worth a chance!

And it definitely as worth it – I love this book!

I never post spoilers but just this once – the ending is revealed below! Skip ahead of you really don’t want to know!

Hugo and Bella are off to a fancy dress party as ‘The Princess and the Pea’ – Hugo is the princess naturally, but Bella doesn’t want to be a pea! Cue various suggestions which inevitably leaves one of them feeling put out (my favourite being Bella’s suggestion of a mermaid and a rock because Hugo is ‘grey and blobby’ so makes ‘a very fine rock’). After an argument, a strop, a sulk and finally a think about things, they both decide to let the other be the princess and end up going as…two peas in a pod!

There’s so much to enjoy in this, not least the lively, funny and expressive illustrations (Hugo in the shower washing off his pumpkin paint is just the saddest thing – I want to hug him!).

It’s a wonderfully written, witty and believable story of friendship and fall outs. Perfect for reading aloud, doing the voices and getting into character this is a great story to share. It’s very funny and relatable with a pleasing resolution.

I was also thrilled to see that it’s Hugo who unashamedly wants to be the princess – no making an issue of it, no gender themes to the book, it just *is* and I love that.

We thoroughly enjoyed this and I’ve now ordered the other Hugo sbd Bella books too!

What else did we read this week?

• Jampires by Sarah McIntyre and David O’Connell (superbly silly!)
• A Child of Books by Oliver Jeffers (a real favourite of mine)
• The Lost Property Office by Emily Rand (Reviewed here)
• Hairy Maclary’s Bone by Linley Dodd (a classic rhyming tale)
• A Pipkin of Pepper by Helen Cooper (another classic with beautiful illustrations)

Have you read any of these?

Do you know of any other pea-themed picture books we’re missing?!

Which picture books or bedtime stories did you read this week?