Stick It In Your Ear

Mabel O’Leary Put Peas in Her Ear-y

by Mary Delaney; illustrated by Kathy Couri

Reviewed by Deb Clark

The other day I read about a study that found kids don’t like to eat vegetables and must acquire a taste for them. This would only be news to people who (a) do not have children or (b) have suffered some kind of traumatic head injury that made them forget the lengths they went to as children to avoid eating anything green.

Kids, and those of us with intact memories, will relate to Mabel O’Leary, whose mom won’t let her leave the table until she eats a mound of green peas. But as soon as mom turns her back, Mabel sticks every single pea in her ear. Her creative, if ill-advised, scheme gets her released from the table but for the rest of the day she’s unable to understand anything her mom says.

Mother yelled, “STOP!”
But Mabel hears, “HOP!”
Which seemed like
An odd thing to say.
But wanting to please her
She tried to appease her
By hopping and yelling “Olé!”

The wackiness escalates from there – all of it in rhyme – until the peas fall out. Crayon-bright watercolor illustrations loaded with humorous details enhance the comedy of the story. Mabel doesn’t appear to suffer any ill effects, and on the final page she is seen disposing of broccoli in her mom’s shoes. Mabel has a lot to learn about the art of successful vegetable subterfuge.

Rating: *\*\

Comments

[Little Willow]

Great interview with Patrick McDonnell in Edge! Mutts is so adorable.

[Anne]

Many thanks! Will do a post on it now.