Little Pea’s Grand Journey

A picture book featuring a character who lives life in miniature is always a pleasure to read for the chance to see how the illustrator populates each page with human-sized objects like playing cards and thimbles made into chairs and tables for the tiny character. In Little Pea’s Grand Journey, the main character, Little Pea, is a mouse-sized human who lives in a meadow under the shadow of a healthy tomato plant. He spends his days as a postage stamp designer and enjoys the friendship of the many insects that live in the forest. Each page is joy-filled, with Little Pea celebrating a birthday with the insects, working on his many eclectic hobbies, and riding on a scooter made using a matchstick for a handlebar and buttons for wheels.

When Little Pea finds himself lacking inspiration for the next series of postage stamps and thinks he can find new ideas out in the world, he builds an airplane (using popsicle sticks, a matchbox, and a bottlecap, among other supplies), waves good-bye to his insect friends and takes to the sky. His flight is cut short by mechanical troubles, but, because he was clever enough to pack a parachute in his unconventional plane, he lands safely among the wreckage. He finds himself in a place entirely different from his own meadow, among insects he has never seen before and surrounded by many unusual flowers and bushes. He is worried about how he can ever return home, but his new friends help him to build an airplane from materials they source from their environment, and he returns home safely, ready to create new art.

On each page, the insects, plants, and objects in his home are illustrated in realistic colours, using a style which is lighthearted, suiting the story of a miniature artist who is so resilient and optimistic. His facial expressions align perfectly with the emotions he is feeling along each step of this grand journey: when Little Pea is feeling content as he works on a stamp, his smile is warm, when he plays with the insects, his smile is wide, and when he feels he cannot think of another idea, the lines of his mouth go down into a frown and his arms cross in front with frustration. The insect friends mirror his emotions: when Little Pea is happy, they wave their arms in happiness, when he is distraught, they hold their heads in sadness, and when he returns safely from his adventure, they jump into the air in welcome.

Readers will be inspired to look more closely between the blades of grass the next time they are outside, or they might consider pursuing a journey of their own after they read Little Pea’s Grand Journey, a warm story of friendship and resilience with an emphasis on artistic expression.