Feast of Peas

By Kashmira Sheth, Jeffrey Ebbeler (Illustrator)

Jiva's peas vanish mysteriously before harvest. Who's behind the garden heist?

4.9/7 Bookroo experts·3.7/5 Goodreads · 156 ratings

32 pages· 953 words· Est. 8 min read-aloud

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Bookroo's summary

In the heart of India, Jiva tends his vibrant garden, dreaming of a pea feast. But each time he reaches for his harvest, the peas have vanished. Despite scarecrows and fences, the mystery deepens. As Jiva's anticipation grows, so does the question: who is enjoying his peas before he can? With his friend Ruvji by his side, Jiva must uncover the truth behind the disappearing vegetables. Is it a mischievous animal, a sneaky neighbor, or something else entirely? Dive into this delightful tale of gardening, mystery, and unexpected generosity.

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

— from the book

From the publisher

Hard-working Jiva might not be the only one anticipating a delicious feast of peas from his garden.

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. When his friend Ruvji admires his plants Jiva sings,

Plump peas, sweet peas,

Lined- up-in-the-shell peas.

Peas to munch, peas to crunch

A feast of peas for lunch.

But each time Jiva is ready to pick the peas for his feast, they’re already gone. What has happened?

From the award-winning author and illustrator team who created Tiger in My Soup, this original story set in India features a deliciously amusing mystery about gardening, anticipation, hard work, and generosity.

At a glance

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 32
Words: 953
Reading age: 4–8
Audience: Picture
Lexile: AD540L

Themes & topics

Books about India Books about vegetables Books about forgiveness Books about kindness Books about mischief

The Bookroo review

What our editors thought of Feast of Peas

Jiva loves peas and busily attends to his garden, faithfully watching it grow. His friend, Ruvji, also loves peas. He happens to be around each time Jiva announces his next crop of peas will be ready in the morning. But when Jiva goes to the garden to pick the peas, they are already gone. Ruvji first suggests it might be the rabbits, but the second time the peas go missing, he suggests it’s actually a ghost. As he suggests a ghost, Ebbeler does a wonderful job of making Ruvji appear as a ghost himself, partially hidden behind a scarecrow’s clothing. This clever foreshadowing comes just when readers might be starting to figure out what’s really happening to Jiva’s peas. When the peas are ready a third time, Jiva catches Ruvji stealing them and demands repayment from his friend. When Ruvji repays Jiva with a delicious feast of peas, Jiva shares it with his repentant friend—though Ebbeler cleverly implies on the final page that the story might just repeat itself with the tomatoes and eggplants in Jiva’s garden that are now ripe and ready to eat. Sheth weaves a clever tale that’s just predictable enough to be fun. Ebbeler shines most in depicting Jiva the scarecrow chasing his friend Ruvji the ghost.

The verdict

“A memorable folklore-like tale set in India about friendship, trickery, and forgiveness.”

Bookroo Editorial

Reviewed January 2020

4.9/7

After the last page

Talk about it together

The illustrations in this book cleverly foreshadow what will happen later in the story. What examples of foreshadowing can you find in the illustrations?

Jiva likes his peas prepared in all sorts of different ways, like in soup and wrapped in potato. Trying nutritious foods prepared in different ways can help us expand our tastes. Perhaps you and your young reader can find a pea recipe that sounds interesting to try.

What readers & critics say