MOWMT: Lynne Marie Starts with a Pea!

March 31, 2025

[Note: Use the Links to buy the Books]

When I saw Brittany Pomales' debut IT STARTED WITH A P, I clapped! What Fun! And, what a great way to start! In fact, my latest release HENNY PENNY'S WEATHER WORRIES also started with a Pea!

Before I share Mentor Texts, I just want to emphasize that I used mentor texts in many ways for this book. I no longer keep count how many books (but I realize I should and will in the future). I collected picture books about weather, picture books about school, picture books about social emotional learning, and last but not least, any Henny Penny (and Chicken Little) retellings that I could get my hands on. I explored so many different aspects (in close to 75 books for this story that you may see it in another Mentor Text post. But for now, we will talk about ... starting with a Pea.

It's kind of amazing how many books actually start with a pea. In this, we again see that there are many approaches to a story, many ways to tell it, many twists to incorporate, and many styles to telling it. Here are just a few that might inspire you.

LMNO PEAS by Keith Baker

Such a simple concept of featuring peas as the P in an alphabet book ended up in a 7-book series!

THE RUNAWAY PEA by Kjartan Poskit, with Art by Alex Willmore

While this is basically a retelling of THE GINGERBREAD MAN, it features instead, a Pea! There have been many other books about runaway foods inspired by THE GINGERBREAD MAN, and this list now includes a pea. Believe it or not, though, while other retellings are one and done, this one has two sequels: THE RUNAWAY PEA LEFT BEHIND and THE RUNAWAY PEA WASHED AWAY!

LITTLE PEA by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, with Art by Jen Corace

This is a sweet and simple story for picky eaters. Just look at this sweet pea! As a humorous plus, it flips the script on picky eating.

THE PRINCESS AND THE (GREEDY PEA) by Leigh Hodgkinson

Though technically a retelling of THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA, of which there are many, including variations that focus on different cultures, this book rolls out the perspective of the pea (and incorporates a style similar to The House that Jack Built). So clever.

Last, but not least (and of course, in actuality, there are more), is. . .

IT STARTED WITH A P by Brittany Pomales, with Art by Andrew Joyner

This story unfolds with the help of many, many ps!

And, while not included here, there are even non-fiction picture books about peas!

While I am pretty sure it's not a present goal of yours to write about a pea (or a p), there is a method to my madness. As you evaluate mentor texts, consider the different ways they approached their topics. Jot them them for your next or future ideas. One of them just might be a winner.

But while we are on the topic of next ideas, here's a challenge. Take an object (any object your are passionate about or find fascinating), and write about it using any one of the above approaches. You may be surprised at what you come up with. There may even be p-quels!

Best of luck.

PRIZE: I will be giving away both a Submission Pass to someone who has a holiday story, AND to another winner, an Ask Me Anything to someone who has a holiday story. Please share this post and note where in the comments, as well as tell me what holiday your story ties into in the comments. The more comments, the more winners I may pick!

SPECIAL NOTE: Want a FREE copy of HENNY PENNY'S WEATHER WORRIES (or an almost FREE Webinar, depending on how you look at it)? Please e-mail RYS.CyberOffice@gmail.com for more details on our April 21st Launch and Learn Event, which will fun, fundamentals and fantastic door prizes, like AMA Sessions with Me, Submission Passes for me, Mentor Sessions, RYS Speedpasses and MORE!

Lynne Marie is the award-winning author of Hedgehog Goes to Kindergarten -- art by Anne Kennedy (Scholastic 2011), Hedgehog's 100th Day of School -- art by Lorna Hussey (Scholastic 2017), The Star of the Christmas Play -- art by Lorna Hussey (Beaming Books 2018), Moldilocks and the 3 Scares -- art by David Rodriguez Lorenzo (Sterling / Scholastic 2019) and Let’s Eat! Mealtime Around the World -- art by Parwinder Singh (Beaming Books 2019), The Three Little Pigs and the Rocket Project and The Three Little Pigs and the Rocket Project Coloring Book -- art by Wendy Fedan (Mac and Cheese Press 2022), The Palace Rat -- art by Eva Santana (Yeehoo Press 2023), BroomMates: A Brewing Boundary Battle (an Anna Dewdney Read-Together Finalist 2025) co-written with Brenda Reeves Sturgis – art by Nico Ecenarro (The Little Press 2024) and Henny Penny’s Weather Worries and more, forthcoming. 

She’s an Editor at The Little Press, the Director of RateYourStory.org, a Mentor at ThePictureBookMechanic.com, the Creator of March On With Mentor Texts (www.rateyourstory.org/march-on) and Mentor Text Talk, a Co-Host of #SeasonsOfKidLit (www.seasonsofkidlit.com) and a Feature Columnist at Children’s Book Insider (https://writeforkids.online/).  

When she’s not traveling the world in search of story ideas, she lives in her hometown with her high school sweetheart, a Schipperke named Anakin and a Mini Pinscher named Marlowe Charlotte. Visit her at www.LiterallyLynneMarie.com.

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