Supertato by Sue Hendra (review)

Hendra, Sue Supertato; written and illus. by Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet. Aladdin, 2020 [32p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781481490375 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781481490382 $10.99 Reviewed from galleys R 3-6 yrs

At night, the supermarket vegetables come to life, but one frozen pea places many others in peril with his antics as he doodles a goatee on the broccoli and sticks a carrot to the conveyor belt. Luckily, Supertato is here to rescue the "vegetables in distress" and apprehend the villainous pea—if the pea doesn't get him with the potato masher first. This UK import is a comical high-speed contest between villain and hero, with each trying to outsmart the other at every turn. The similarly dressed Supertato and pea both wear black masks with red capes, but they're clearly marked as adversaries on opposing sides by Supertato's sparkling smile and the evil pea's villainous eyes. Digital art is flat and streamlined but tasty, with cakes, cheeses, and even veggies looking good enough to eat, and viewers will get a kick out of searching for the pea's tiny form as Supertato hunts down the miniature criminal among landscapes of hole-filled cheese and other foods. Kids who play with their food, beware: the food may try to take revenge, and as the last page of the book implies, the frozen peas have probably infested our houses already.