Little Pea (for ages 3 and up) by Amy Krouse Rosenthal is a funny, simple and sweet book to read during mealtime. This picture book is about a young pea who wants to grow up to be a big and strong pea like his daddy.
In this silly story, what Little Pea needs to grow up to be big and strong is candy, which is Little Pea’s least favorite food! He needs to eat candy each day of the week, including all different colors and combinations. His favorite food is spinach, which he eats up in no time for dessert (only when he finishes his candy). This book is great for picky eaters because it is normally the opposite of what kids would want – spinach for dessert! Amy Krouse Rosenthal has fun with this reverse concept with her other books, Little Hoot and Little Oink. Little Pea is silly, cute and fun for all ages. Your little ones will giggle when reading this book and might be more open to eating peas (Who can resist a little cute pea?).
Learning concepts include colors, descriptive concepts, counting, prepositions, days of the week and sequencing. When reading this book, encourage language from your child such as asking questions, using fill in the blank prompts (e.g. “If you want to grow up to be a big, strong pea, you have to eat your ______”) and comment on the pictures.
Use appropriate intonation and excitement when reading the book. I found this great video of a mom reading this book to her child here. You can get some great tips on how to read this book to your toddler by watching the video. Why read to your child during mealtime??? See my top ten reasons here.
Allison Topilow, MS, RD, CDN, Nutrition Consultant recommends eating a rainbow of colors. Fruits and vegetables all have different antioxidants and nutrients depending on their color which is why variety is so important! Choosing green vegetables such as peas and spinach will help you become big and strong by providing vitamins and minerals such as B- vitamins, Vitamin C and iron. They also give you a fiber boost which can help keep your heart healthy and tummy happy 🙂
If your child does not like peas, try these pea pancakes I made one day. My daughter does not like peas, but loves these pancakes. I couldn’t quite come up with a dipping sauce for them and would love suggestions! Write me with any suggestions for variations of these pancakes.
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Becca Eisenberg is a certified speech language pathologist and mom of two.Through her own personal challenges at mealtime with her two young children she ventured on creating a website to help parents facilitate language and make mealtime fun. Her website gravitybread.com focuses on facilitating and encouraging language with fun and easy recipes, educational books and recommended toys and apps.
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