Module 4: Ivy + Bean

  

Summary: 
Two seven-year-old girls, Ivy and Bean, become friends despite how hard-bent Bean is on staying away from Ivy. Bean is an adventurous, mischievous girl who bugs her sister, plays pranks, and is outside more than she is inside. Ivy is quiet, talks to herself, and marches to the beat of her own drum. When one of Bean's pranks goes unexpectedly wrong, Ivy comes to her rescue and starts a beautiful friendship. The girls quickly recognize their quirkiness is more in-sync than they originally thought. They are soon plotting and ploying together throughout the neighborhood.  Barrows, A. (2006). Ivy + bean. San Franciso, Calif: Chronicle Books.

Review: Kirkus Reviews
A charismatic duo makes their debut in this new chapter-book series. Barrows provides a fresh take on the standard odd-couple tale of friendship, with a caveat to readers of not judging a book by its cover—or the new girl by her seemingly goody image. Bean, an energetic girl with an inclination for mischief, just doesn’t see the appeal of her new neighbor Ivy, whom her mother extols as such a “nice girl,” which Bean readily translates to mean dull. However, when she needs to escape the wrath of her bossy sister Nancy, Bean discovers a whole new dimension to the quiet girl next door. Together Ivy and Bean concoct a plan to cast Ivy’s fledgling dancing spell on Nancy, with unexpected and hilarious results. With a hearty helping of younger sibling angst, a sprinkling of spells and potions and a dash of nosy neighbors, Barrows has the perfect recipe for solidifying a newfound friendship. Blackall’s saucy illustrations detailing the girls’ hijinks and their calamitous outcomes are liberally featured throughout the text. Readers are bound to embrace this spunky twosome and eagerly anticipate their continuing tales of mischief and mayhem. (Fiction. 6-10)

IVY AND BEAN. (2006). Kirkus Reviews, 74(9), 454.

My Impressions: 
Ivy + Bean is a delightful, early chapter book series for kids starting to take on more challenging reading but need a nice transition from picture books. The regular illustrations help keep the story going and the reader visually involved with the story. The reservations Bean expresses about Ivy are completely believable and likely. Ivy's tendency to forget about the world around her is also something you'd expect from elementary children. The hesitation you experience between Ivy and Bean is a great depiction of what many elementary kids do and experience in real life. The unlikely friendship that forms, awkwardly, felt how the development of such a friendship would occur, making it relatable and applicable for juvenile readers. 

Library Use: 
Ivy + Bean could be used as examples of opposites attracting in terms of friendship and as an illustration for how to overcome differences by focusing on shared interests and a respectful appreciation of diversity. Ivy + Bean could be part of available literature for a diversity monthly focus that looks at unlikely partnerships. Students could be encouraged to examine their varied skills and abilities and think of ways they match or work collaboratively with people who have differing skills and abilities.