Module 7 - Ivy + Bean

Module 7 - Ivy + Bean

Summary

Bean's mother encourages her to go play with her new neighbor Ivy.  Bean doesn't want to, thinking that Ivy is bookish and dull.  She instead focuses on harassing her older sister Nancy.  One day, while unsuccessfully trying to play a prank on Nancy, Bean begins to get to know Ivy and realizes she is fun.  Ivy wants to be a witch, so the girls decorate a magic wand and try to use it to cast a spell on Nancy.  They dig up the backyard looking for the worms needed to make the spell work.  When Nancy seems them and comes out to capture Bean, they throw the worms at her.  She dances just as the dancing spell should make her, to the delight of both girls.  This is clearly the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

My Impressions

This book is very cute.  It teaches the idea of not judging a book by its cover without belaboring the point.  It just shows readers how much fun a person can have by keeping an open mind.  It also reminded me of the things my siblings and I used to do to each other.  I really enjoyed the read. 

Reviews

Reviewers liked this book.  Booklist's Ilene Cooper noted that the text will "make readers giggle" and that "what takes the book to a higher level is Blackall's artwork, which captures the girls' spirit"  (Cooper, 2006). Kirkus reviewers also enjoyed "Blackall's saucy illustrations detailing the girls' hijinks and their calamitous outcomes," and stated that "Readers are bound to embrace this spunky twosome and eagerly anticipate their continuing tales of mischief and mayhem" (Anonymous, 2006).

Use in a library

This book would be fun to use in conjunction with a book about friendship or unlikely friends.  It would be fun to have readers compare the relationships and what makes a friendship tick.

References

Anonymous. (2006). Barrows, Annie: Ivy and Bean. Kirkus Reviews:74(9). Retrieved from Literature Resource Center.

Barrows, A. (2006). Ivy + Bean. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books.

Cooper, I. (2006). Barrows, Annie. Ivy and Bean. Booklist:42. Retrieved from Literature Resource Center.