Written by Kashmira Sheth and illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler

A vibrant and deliciously amusing suspenseful story set in India about food and gardening, anticipation, and generosity.

Every morning, Jiva works in his garden until the sun turns as red as a bride’s sari. He plants peas and beans, potatoes and tomatoes, eggplants and okra in his vegetable patch. While his friend Ruvji admires his plants Jiva sings,

“Plump peas, sweet peas,
Lined-up-in-the-shell peas.
Peas to munch, peas to crunch
I want a feast of peas for lunch!”

But each time Jiva is ready to pick the peas for his feast, they’re already gone. He tries making a scarecrow and a fence, but it’s no use. Who might have taken them this time?

Paperback

Target Age: 4-8

Pages: 32

Published: 2023 (originally published in hardcover in 2020)