Colin and Lee, Carrot and Pea
- Age: 2 – 3 years
- Theme: Acceptance
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Book Review:
Lee is a pea. All of his friends are peas. Colin isn’t a pea — and so begins the deliciously funny story of two very different friends. A quietly brilliant picture book about friendship, difference, and the gentle truth that we don’t all need to be the same to belong together.
What will your child or you learn?
That difference isn’t a problem to be fixed — it’s the start of a friendship. That what makes someone not like us might be exactly what makes them wonderful. That you can be small and bouncy, or tall and orange, and still belong together. And, very gently, that the best stories often say the least.
What age group is it for?
Officially 2 and up. Lovely as a read-aloud from age 2, and especially good for children aged 3-5 who are starting to notice that everyone is a little bit different and aren’t quite sure what to make of it yet. Independent readers aged 4-6 will enjoy reading it themselves.
What is the theme of the book?
The theme is friendship that doesn’t require sameness. Colin the carrot and Lee the pea are completely unalike — in shape, in size, in what they can do — and the book never asks either of them to change. It’s a quiet, generous celebration of individuality and belonging, and a gentle introduction to empathy for very young children.
How can you bring the story to life?
This is a beautifully simple book — and the best way to bring it to life is to lean into the simplicity. A few ideas: Try acting it out at the kitchen table with a real carrot and a few peas. Children love seeing the story made real with the actual vegetables. Talk about what makes Colin and Lee different and what they have in common. Ask your child who their Colin or Lee is — the friend who isn’t quite like them. Make your own carrier-bag collages: Morag Hood made the entire book from green and orange supermarket plastic, and recreating that with your child is a lovely rainy-afternoon craft. The book’s quiet humour also rewards re-reading. Each time, you’ll notice a different small joke in the illustrations — a pea making a face, a pea hiding from Colin, the way Colin is just tall enough to make a bridge.
Who brought this story to life?
Morag Hood is the author and illustrator. Colin and Lee, Carrot and Pea was her debut picture book — created during her MA in Children’s Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art, and a runner-up in the Macmillan Prize for Illustration in 2014. Based in Edinburgh, Morag has since gone on to write and illustrate beloved books including When Grandad Was a Penguin, I Am Bat, The Steves, Aalfred and Aalbert, and Spaghetti Hunters — all published by Two Hoots. Her work is known for its deadpan humour, deceptive simplicity, and a distinctive collage-and-print aesthetic. She is one of the most quietly distinctive voices in British picture books today. The book was published by Two Hoots, the children’s imprint of Pan Macmillan UK, known for championing fresh, original picture book voices.
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