The Monster Who Ate My Peas

by Danny Schnitzlein, Matt Faulkner (Illustrator)

This hilarious picture book from author Danny Schnitzlein will have little pea-phobes, picky eaters, and monster lovers begging for repeated reads. “The rhymes flow, begging to be read aloud. Faulkner has created a truly disgusting monster with hairy feet and icky toenails, covered with slimy vegetables, too big for the page. Children will clamor to hear this one again and again.” ― School Library Journal What do you dread eating the most? For one young boy, it’s peas, but he’s discovered a solution. “I closed my eyes tightly and sent out a wish
That the peas would somehow disappear from my dish
And something quite strange and mysterious occurred,
As if somehow… somebody… somewhere had heard.” He makes a bargain with a fiendishly funny monster who will eat the boy’s peas in exchange for a soccer ball. But with each new encounter, the monster’s demands escalate. Eventually, our hero faces a daunting decision―can he conquer his loathing for peas, or will he lose his most prized possession? Danny Schnitzlein’s Seuss-inspired verse combine with Matt Faulkner’s uproariously detailed illustrations to create a clever story about how far we’re willing to go to avoid the things we hate. Also available from Danny
Gnu and Shrew
The Monster Who Did My Math
Trick or Treat on Monster Street Virginia Readers’ Choice (Primary Winner) ―Virginia State Reading Association
Young Hoosier Book Award (Picture Book) ―Association for Indiana Media Educators
Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (Nominee, Picture Book) ―Maryland Educational Media Organization
Pennsylvania Young Readers Choice Award (Nominee) ―Pennsylvania School Librarians Association
Show Me Readers Award (Nominee) ―Missouri Association of School Librarians

Genres: Picture Books, Monsters, Childrens, Food, Humor, Fiction, Poetry

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2001

About the author

Author, Danny Schnitzlein, has been crazy about monsters since he was four years old. Some say he never grew up. His book, The Monster Who Ate My Peas, won state awards in Indiana and Virginia and was adapted into a touring musical and a ballet. The Monster Who Did My Math, was named “A Book All Young Georgians Should Read” by the Georgia Center for the Book. Danny’s books have been featured in the Georgia Department of Education’s “Read More” initiative, the Atlanta Mayor’s Reading Club, and The Atlanta Falcons’ “Read With a Falcon” program. His gnu-est book, Gnu and Shrew, was named a Best STEM Book of 2021. Danny also writes scripts and songs for children’s educational television. He lives in Marietta, GA with his family and a dog with snuggly superpowers.

Reviews

[M.K. Aneal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness!! This has to be one of my favorite children's books!! My sister argued with me because I picked this book up at the library but as I started reading she got so into it she was almost yelling at the book. She was trying to tell the boy what he should do. Haha. This is what books are supposed to do- make you feel. Haha. Love it- 5 stars!!!!(: (:

[Relyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was such a fun book to read aloud to students. The art is amazing and so is the language. My second and third graders really enjoyed it.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an entertaining and somewhat dramatic tale of a young boy who is willing to trade away his most beloved possessions for a monster to take away the dreaded peas from his plate.

The rhyming narrative is fun to read aloud and the illustrations are appropriately gruesome where the monster(s) are concerned, while still being fairly realistic otherwise.

It's a very engaging story and I really enjoyed reading it as well as listening to the librarian where I work read it aloud with younger students.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my all time favorite read-aloud books. I read it every year, and the students loooove it. Children love it because they can relate-- a young boy is not allowed to get up from the table until he eats his dreaded peas. A monster appears willing to eat the peas, but the boy must give the monster something in return. With each trade, the monster gets more demanding and the boy has to decide if he'll eat his peas. Children enjoy the rhyming text, creative story line, and predicting what they think will happen next. Add this to your shelf and share it with a child, but practice your pleading, little boy and monster voices first :)

[Sherry Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

What's a kid to do when he's given a pile of disgusting peas to eat? He can eat them...or he can make a deal with a monster who will eat them for him. If he opts for the latter, there will be a catch.

Told in rollicking rhyme, it's a fun story that kids will enjoy reading again and again. The illustrations really capture the essence of the monster and bring the story to life. Picky eaters might learn that it's better to eat their food than deal with the consequences of bargaining with a monster. Recommended for kids ages 3-7.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best children's picture book I've read in years. The rhyme pattern is solid and steady. It uses great words. The story is compelling and the feelings of the main character are spot on. The illustrations are a perfect compliment to the plot. And lastly, the message is clear and empowering. Great story.

[Melissa Namba · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for picky eaters. I love that there were consequences AND that he had to feel bad about deceiving his parent. Highly recommended for my sister's kids, but I'm sending this book to my brother's kids.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I also once did not like peas.

[MeganRuth - Alohamora Open a Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a tad long, but could possibly work for a Family Storytime if kiddos a little older. I really like the message, great writing (rhythm and rhyming), and the illustrations were great as well. I feel like this books should be more popular than it is.

Focus: Background knowledge, phonological awareness (but that's a touch of a stretch).
Storytime: FST or 2nd-5th grade.

Creative story. Teachers could use it for a myriad of lessons including the obvious health and good foods.

[Donna Mork · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute kid trades his soccer ball to a monster who eats his peas. Then he trades his bike. At last the monster asks for his dog. The kid doesn't want to trade the dog, so he forces himself to eat the peas and discovers, they are actually quite good. He is surprised. And now tries all kinds of food before passing judgment.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny story with a gross looking monster. Illustrates consequences and costs. Would be good to share with a picky eater.

[Kelly Veatch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so fun as a read-aloud!

[Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the story and the message it had, and the rhyming made me very glad ;P

[Beverly Mann · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining read about trying new foods.

[Arielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kids loved it. Great rhyme scheme. Great story. Great moral. Clear beginning, middle, and end. The kids can clearly empathize with the struggles, poor decisions, and feelings surrounding them.

[Jonele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely gorgeous illustrations!

[Timothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sensational in everyway. This has to be my favourite book... If there was one favourite which there is clearly not!

[NMB Discovery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Purple Monster Story-Time.
The rhythming story teaches the value of trying new foods.

[Marcia]

Don’t love the illustrations, just gross

[Jerry]

review text for 4001

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A coworker showed this book to me. It's an amusing book about a boy who doesn't want to eat his peas and will do anything to make them disappear. Full of rhythmic, rhyming text, Schnitzlein tells of how the boy encounters a monster who will eat his peas - for a price. Of course the boy accepts and sees the result. The next time the boy has peas for dinner, the monster reappears and the demands escalate. Detailed Illustrations support the humorous readable text. I particularly liked the boy's cute little black furry terrier companion who appears throughout the story. Super funny book and I'm sure many kids will relate to the dread of peas on the dinner plate. I know I would've as a kid.

[Patricia Kemp Blackmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the boy sits at the dinner table staring at the peas on his plate his mother very seriously tells him he will not get his dessert unless he eat every single peas on his plate. When she leaves the room a monster that looks like a giant blog of mixed veggies offter to eat his peas in exchange for his soccer ball.

The monster continues to return offering to eat whatever the boy did not want to eat and he always wanted something that was very special to the boy.

Would you give up things that are special to you just so you would not have to eat something you disliked?

Could you lie to your parents and tell them you ate all of your food?

This story was fun with all the rhymes that I now have stuck in my head.

The author have a hilarious imagination to write such a fun rhyming tale. So did the illustrator in creating the perfect characters for the tale, especially the grotesque monster, the darling baby and cute puppy.

Kids will want to read or have this book read to them over and over again.

I rated this book 5 out of 5.

Disclosure
I received a free copy of this book by Peachtree Publishers for review. I was in no way compensated for this review. It is my own opinion.

[Nielson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not your average monster story! The little boy in this story will desperately do anything in order to avoid eating his peas, including giving up some of his most prized possessions! (Sound familiar to any of you parents out there?!) Well when his wish comes true and the disgusting pea monster appears, all it will take for the peas to disappear from his plate is the boy's new soccer ball. Easy enough it seems. But the next time the monster appears he wants the boys bike....and then his dog. How far is the boy willing to go to avoid eating his peas?? The boy has had enough and decides that this must stop....so he does the most brave thing of all...he eats his peas....and makes a surprising discovery!
This is a clever book about facing the things we dread eating the most. Parents will get a kick out of this as it may describe their kids exactly! The illustrations are disgustingly detailed and the rhythmic rhyming of the text creates the perfect flow to the story.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

What would you do to avoid eating your vegetables? You might try to feed them to the dog, but what if he didn't want them? Maybe you just moved them around on your plate to make it look like less or hid them in the mashed potatoes. Well, the boy in this sure-to-be-a-classic children's tale will do anything he can do avoid eating his hateful, digusting, stinky peas - even going so far as to make a deal with a MONSTER!

This vibrantly illustrated tale proves that there are worse things than eating your vegetables, like losing your brand new soccer ball, or your shiny new bicycle, or even your poor puppy! A wonderful revelation comes to the boy as he tries to decide if he really wants to lose the things that mean the most to him. This book is a wonderful read for children who need an easy and funny story to read or just need to learn that there can be heavy consequences to not eating their vegetables.

[Abby Buskirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Monster Who Ate My Peas” is a charming tale about a young boy who is willing to go to extreme measures to not eat peas. Along comes a monster, who readily offers to eat the boy’s peas, but not without a cost. As the boy has the monster eat his peas, he is filled with remorse with the things he has to give up, such as his soccer ball and bicycle. In the end, when the monster wants his puppy in exchange for eating his peas, the boy has enough and decides to eat his own peas. Much to his surprise, he actually likes peas! This story serves as a prominent reminder for children to not be afraid of trying new things!

“The Monster Who Ate My Peas”
Author: Danny Schnitzlein
Illustrator: Matt Faulkner
Publisher: Peachtree Publishers (2001)
Genre: Magical Realism

[Beth Harati · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this book several years ago and loved it. Got to meet the author today and hear him read it to a group of children which included my 1 yr old grandson. He was mesmerized by the pictures and the rhymes. Danny told the children about how he had wished he didn't have to eat certain foods as a child and asked what foods they disliked which of course led to a very animated discussion then he started reading the book. They LOVED it! To me, they were the best critics for a children's book. I might add, he has another book that he read that was equally well received, Trick or Treat on Monster Street.

[Sue Pak · Rating 5 out of 5]

A boy does not want to eat his peas and makes a deal with a monster. Every time the monster eats his peas, he must give one of his things in return. He is stuck in a dilemma on what he should do; eat the peas or lose his precious items.

Has a fun rhyme, VERY CUTE BOOK. I love this book.
Good for critical practices and making predictions. You can have a talk with children about whether it is okay to talk to strangers. Also, you can talk about whether something is real or not (For instance, can something so gigantic fit in a tiny drain? No.) You can also talk about whether it is right or not to make such trades.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun read! This rhyming text presents a boy who does not want to eat his peas. He makes a deal with a monster, who will eat his peas for a soccer ball and a new bicycle. When the monster offers to eat the peas in exchange for the boy's puppy, the boy decides to finally try his peas. And guess what! He likes them. A really fun book about trying new foods and being careful about what kind of deals you make.

Recommended for students in grades 1 and 2, though younger picky eaters may like this text as well!

[Greta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the idea for the book, but it seems that the protagonist takes a little too long to learn his lesson. I know the author had to raise the stakes, but it was just a bit too unrealistic. That's okay in a child's picture book. The thing that bothered me the most was the forced and near rhyme. Otherwise, it's a fun book.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really cute artwork in this picture book but the text is kind of preachy.

It is a lesson about a boy who makes a deal with a monster so that he won't have to eat his vegetables, first giving up his soccer ball and then his new bike. Finally he discovers that trying new foods isn't so bad and he shoos off the monster before he trades for his dog too.