GO, PEA, GO!

A single pea pushes himself to finish a race in this punny potty metaphor.

Pea Junior hasn’t time to say hello. Instead it’s time to “Go! Go! Go! GO!” as he dashes forward along the winding, yellow stripe. All his training is paying off, and he’s ignoring distractions on every corner. Pushing through doubts, at last he arrives at the finish line, and readers learn that in truth this was actually a run for the bathroom. While parents may be able to connect Pea’s helter-skelter sprint with a small child’s potty dash, many toddlers will be wondering why he has to wash his hands after his marathon. The connection between running and peeing is tenuous at best, for while readers see Pea remembering his physical-fitness training, at no time do they see anyone sitting on a potty. Questionable scansion and rhymes also mar the read (“Pea wants to give up / and say, ‘Forget it, I quit.’ / But if he does that, / he will really regret it”). The art is the true draw here, remaining upbeat and jolly every step of the race. The inclusion of star stickers and a potty chart for marking progress gears this to individual rather than library use.

Vibrant visuals cannot make up for a potty book that just doesn’t rate. No, Pea, No! (Picture book. 2-4)