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Ivy + Bean is a sweet, quick read. Drawn in by the lime green and turquoise plaid of the cover, I plowed through this engaging little chapter book in about thirty minutes. It didn’t take my little ones much longer to devour it. Annie Barrows’ tale of two little girls are reminiscent of Ramona Quimby or Junie B. Jones.
Two girls, seemingly complete opposites in every way, come together reluctantly. Ivy appears to be a quiet, proper little girl who always sits calmly on her front porch with a big book. Bean is a wild child, always loud and running, and always into trouble. Ivy has perfectly arranged red curls, while Bean has dark, messy, straight hair. They forge an unlikely friendship based on the most important things in young life: worms, magic, and a joint hatred of Big Sisters.
This smallish hardcover chapter book features “Adventuring in Backyard Safaris,” “Tiptoeing through the Hallway” to avoid disturbing the Mother-Monster, and creating a “Potion Lab.” The author does a fine job of making the characters live. She shares their thoughts and views through each of their eyes. As is fairly typical of books for young children, though, the characters have little depth. Annie Barrows stays in character for each of them, however, and allowed them both to bloom through the friendship.
The illustrations are cute, pencil-like drawings. Sometimes black and white illustrations are better than full color. Sophie Blackall brings a lot of goofy life to the story.
I give Ivy+Bean four stars. My children didn’t feel at all challenged by the vocabulary, but there is something to be said for a simple and uncomplicated story that makes for giggles. More adventures starring Ivy and Bean will be coming, starting in the fall of 2006. They are worth watching for.
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Ivy and Bean