Kids have always been told not to stick beans up their nose, but what would happen if someone had the bright idea to hide a pile of detested peas in her ears? Debuting author Delaney and Couri (100th Day of Bug School
) take this premise and merrily skip away with it. The comedy ensues from the pea-plugged Mabel's inability to accurately hear what her mother says, and unspools in a limerick-inspired rhythm: "Mother yelled, 'Stop!
'/ But Mabel heard 'Hop!
'/ Which seemed like an odd thing to say./ But wanting to please her/ She tried to appease her/ by hopping and yelling 'Olé!' " By the end of the day, Mabel has mistakenly put on clown makeup, made a feathered headdress, and even played "For she's a jolly good fellow" on the cello, all in the belief that these were directives from her increasingly exasperated mother. Couri's fine, fluid ink line, translucent watercoloring, and feel for the ways that domestic life always teeters on the brink of absurdity bring to mind Laura Cornell and Nadine Bernard Westcott. As the verse ups the comic ante, Couri expertly ratchets up the visual humor, while packing her pictures with delicious details (the heroine sports pea-dotted tights, and her father dozes with a copy of Peas: A Novel
). Ages 3-6. (Mar.)
