"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."

What do you dread eating the most? For the hero of this story, it's peas. A young boy thinks he's discovered a way to avoid eating his peas—he makes a bargain with a fiendishly funny monster. First the deal is simple: the monster will eat the boy's peas in exchange for his 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?

Matt Faulkner's uproariously detailed illustrations and Danny Schnitzlein's Seuss-inspired verse combine to create a clever story about how far we are willing to go to avoid doing the things we hate


Author Photo

Danny Schnitzlein studied creative writing at Eckerd College and holds a BS degree from the University of Florida. He lives in Georgia.

You can visit Danny Schnitzlein’s website here.

Author Photo

Matt Faulkner has written and illustrated a number of books, including The Black Belt, The Amazing Voyage of Jackie Grace, The Moon Clock, The Twelve Wild Geese, and The Giving Season. He has also illustrated Trick or Treat on Monster Street, The Monster Who Ate My Peas, and ScatterBrain Sam. In addition to writing and illustrating books for children, Faulkner also creates illustrations for national newspapers and magazines.

You can visit Matt Faulkner’s website here.



“Arcimboldo meets Mad Magazine as a monster that looks like a cross between an octopus and a compost pile bargains with a young narrator willing to sacrifice his prized soccer ball, and even his new bike, rather than eat peas... there's a Seussian (or Clement Clarke Moore) flavor to the rhymed text... the rollicking rhythms and madcap, over-the-top art give this... [book] plenty of comic energy.” ―Kirkus Reviews

“This book is for every picky eater out there. If you have a child that doesn't like green veggies, veggies of any kind or just plain picky eater this is perfect! We enjoyed reading this so much!” ―Letters, Numbers and Books blog


Young Hoosier Book Award (picture book) ―Association for Indiana Media Educators 2003-2004

Virginia Readers' Choice (Primary winner) ―Virginia State Reading Association 2005-2006

Show Me Readers Award (nominee) ―Missouri Association of School Librarians 2003-2004

Pennsylvania Young Readers Choice Award (nominee) ―Pennsylvania School Librarians Association 2003-2004

Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (nominee, picture book) ―Maryland Educational Media Organization 2003-2004