Little Green Peas: A Big Book of Colors by Keith Baker (review)

The peas (from 1-2-3 Peas, BCCB 10/12) are back, and this this time they’re celebrating the world of color. Each color is introduced in huge block letters (“BLUE”) followed by a few specific examples, in rhymed verse, of things that are that color (“Blue boats, blue seas, blue flags, and …”), followed by a spread of the green peas amid a landscape dominated by that color (little green peas cavort on a sandbar in a blue ocean next to a blue ocean liner). As in the previous titles, the story stands second to the delight of poring over the highly detailed digitally rendered illustrations of the personified peas, who are doing everything from sunbathing and unicycling to hula-hooping and downhill skiing. Cool white backdrops effectively set off the juicy palette, making this a true visual feast for the eyes. While there’s not much story here, viewers will nonetheless love the opportunity to borrow this one after storytime for a closer look.