Eat Your Peas

What will it take to get Daisy to eat her peas? Mom starts out with a bribe of ice cream. But even when she cumulatively ups the ante to an inducement that includes never having to go to school again and the purchase of 92 chocolate factories (each clearly delineated in the illustrations), Daisy is unyielding. What the girl really wants is tit-for-tat: ""I'll eat my peas if you eat your brussels sprouts,"" she tells Mom, whose lip promptly begins to quiver at the prospect. A few pages later, daughter and mom are enjoying bowls of ice cream, but it's unclear whether both bit the bullet, nutritionally speaking, or whether they dispensed with veggies and opted for immediate gratification. That nagging ambiguity aside, the book may well tickle funny bones (even if kids may question why Daisy wouldn't trade a few veggies for the bounty her mother offers), thanks not only to debut author Gray's escalating silliness, but also Sharratt's (The Animal Orchestra) signature bold graphics. Daisy, with her perfectly round face, determined, beady eyes and severe Joan of Arc coif, is a veritable icon of juvenile intransigence. Ages 3-6. (Sept.)