Saturday, March 10, 2018

Review: Pea Soup Disaster by Elaine Kaye


PEA SOUP DISASTER
A Gregory Green Adventure
by Elaine Kaye
Picture Book/Chapter Book
Light Urban Fantasy
30 pages





Gregory Green loves his mom’s pea soup, but when he eats it at school, all of his friends make fun of how it looks. He doesn’t think it looks like bugs, and it tastes good! Then at recess, his friends run from him, screaming, “He’s a monster!” Gregory doesn’t know why his friends are being mean until he sees his skin is green. The teasing gets worse until an unlikely friend comes to the rescue—his teddy bear, Sammy. Sammy usually only comes to life for Gregory and his family, but Sammy has an important lesson to teach Gregory and his classmates.



MY TIDBITS

With a little silliness and a humor, this book takes a fun dive into the serious topic of bullying.

Gregory Green loves his mother's pea soup, but the kids at school claim it looks like icky bug goo. When he goes out for recess, everyone shuns him and, soon, he finds out why. Gregory Green has turned green from head to toe, and the kids at school find it hilarious.

With a format which is a cross between a picture book and a chapter book, this makes a lovely read-aloud or, perhaps, a nice story for young readers who are fairly comfortable with reading on their own. The pages of text are well balanced with pages of bright, colorful illustrations, making it fun to flip through and keep the text from bogging down. To add to the fun, little bowls of soup are added to the pages of text too.

The story itself has an important message but bundles it into a humorous story with a touch of fantasy. Gregory is an ordinary boy and is easy to relate to. His situation, while funny, still evokes sympathy. Add a very supportive family, and a clever solution, and it's a cute story kids are sure to enjoy.


And here she is. . .

Elaine Kaye got the idea for Pea Soup Disaster from her son who loved to eat her homemade pea soup. Pea Soup Disaster is the first of many fun stories featuring Gregory Green and his teddy bear, Sammy, as part of the Gregory Green Adventure series.

Kaye has worked as a library assistant and teacher's assistant in elementary schools in the Sunshine State. She currently lives in Florida, but she has called Michigan; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Okinawa, Japan home. She is a grandmother of three boys.

Find Elaine:
Website / Instagram / Litsy - @ElaineKaye












2 comments:

Chrys Fey said...

Hi Tonja! Thanks for reviewing my mom’s picture book! Interesting that you said the formatting was a cross between a picture book and chapter book. Someone else said that. The print version does have a text page and illustration page side by side. :)

Thanks for hosting Pea Soup Disaster!

Elaine Kaye said...

So sorry I'm late!

Thank you so much for a lovely review, Tonja, and for posting it on your blog. I greatly appreciate your support. :)