Ivy + Bean

Bean is a creative and adventurous girl, reminiscent a bit to Ramona, but more aggressive and unrepentant. Her heart is in the right place, but her curiosity, inexperience, and annoying older pre-teen sister, often lead her into sticky situations. When she learns that a girl around her age is moving into her neighborhood, she's excited at the prospect of making a new friend. However, when Bean meets Ivy her hopes are dashed. Ivy seems to be the polar opposite of Bean in terms of personality: she is reserved, soft-spoken, and polite. She seems completely obedient to the adults around them. Bean decides to not pursue a friendship. She changes her mind, however, after Ivy comes to Bean's rescue when Bean's sister, Nancy, is out for show more revenge. From that point on, Bean realizes that Ivy isn't everything Bean had assumed she was. Ivy is just as willing to enjoy some pranking as Bean is, and while she appears to follow her parents' every rule she has her own way of getting out of things. She is even practicing to become a witch. Slowly, a close and formidable friendship is formed.

My girls and I enjoyed this story about a friendship between opposites, and learning to not rely on first impressions or initial appearances. The writing is engaging and funny, and the characters are relatable girls that brim with energy and imagination. The hijinks that result from their friendship are entertaining. My kids could certainly relate to a lot of the details in this story. I've noticed quite a divide in the reviews of this book online. Some people enjoy or love the story, but others are furious at the good reviews that led them to accidentally read this book. I get that some parents are worried about Bean as a role model; she does fight with her older sister, and call people names sometimes, and generally is a bit of a troublemaker. A lot of the things that I remember laughing about or bring intrigued by when I was reading books as a child, honestly. When I read this story to my girls, I made sure to take breaks and talk with them a couple of times about the need for compassion and considering other people's feelings. And I also was okay giggling along with them, too, at the instances of juvenile humor. For me, a story is a great place for kids to see real childish behavior reflected back to them, both the good and the bad. When necessary, we stop to talk if we read about kids doing stuff that would not be acceptable in our family, but I'm fine with them being exposed (and I'm only talking about topics that are appropriate to a child's world, here) to things through the safe medium of books. Also, while Bean sometimes makes bad choices, I read her as good kid at heart. However, for adults who don't want to expose their kids to characters that can sometimes be mean or disobedient, then this is not the book for their family. While I can understand the reservations some people have about the book, for my family, this was a fun start to a series that we will continue reading. show less

The eponymous Ivy and Bean discover that sometimes appearances can be deceiving in this amusing first entry in Annie Barrows' series of easy chapter-books for the primary school set. Although each is encouraged to play with the other by their respective mothers - who foolishly trot out the old "she seems like such a nice girl" line - they resist, until circumstances intervene, in the form of Bean on the run from the consequences of her latest stunt, and they are thrown together. The irrepressible Bean, who has something of a penchant for trouble (especially if it involves teasing her older sister, Nancy), discovers that just because her new neighbor wears a skirt, and has her nose stuck perpetually in a book, doesn't mean that she's show more boring; while Ivy, intent on becoming a witch - if studying can bring it about, it will happen! - learns that Bean is anything but the sweet paragon held up to her.

I was curious to see what I would make of this story, after reading a friend's negative review, which compared the character of Bean unfavorably with Beverly Cleary's Ramona, so when I found myself stuck in the city the other day with nothing to read, and happened upon a book-sale, I snapped up the first few volumes of the series. All in all, although I came away with some concerns, I wasn't as disturbed as my friend. I like stories about little girls that aren't sweet - think Ramona, Clementine, or Junie B. Jones - as I think that the social pressure on girls and women, to just be nice (all the time! no matter what!) are still very strong. I found Bean an engaging character (I liked Ivy a lot too), and laughed at many of her outrageous escapades. Most importantly, I didn't find her irredeemably bad - she had a conscience, she (sometimes) knew she was doing wrong, even if that didn't stop her - so much as realistically human. Then again, I fought like cats and dogs with my own closest sister (we are sixteen months apart) as a girl, so perhaps I identified with that aspect of the story, even if I agree (and I do!) that Bean's parents are a little too lax.

In sum: I found this an engaging read, one that I think will appeal to young girl readers - particularly the ones that get into scrapes - and I also appreciated the charming artwork by Sophie Blackall. show less

So charming! My extrovert daughter immediately identified with Bean (which is funny because I would've identified with Ivy) and she's hooked on the entire series. I like that Ivy and Bean are constantly getting into trouble, but the trouble is never mean-spirited and generally stems from an overabundance of imagination.

I didn't really like this book when I read it. It is about a girl who is trying to trick her older sister and ends up making a friend with a girl who says she is a witch. Bean wants to put a spell on her sister because she think it will be funny and once the spell is done, she wants to do it on one of her neighbors as well. I didn't really like this book because I think it may promote behavior that I would not like to have in my classroom; however I think depending on the students, it would be an okay book. This would be a good transition book between picture and chapter books.

The moment they saw each other, Bean and Ivy knew they wouldn't be friends. But when Bean plays a joke on her sister, Nancy, and has to hide quickly, Ivy comes to the rescue, proving that sometimes the best of friends are people never meant to like each other. Vibrant characters and lots of humor make this a charming and addictive introduction to Ivy and Bean.

In the children's book Ivy and Bean, written by Annie Barrows, the main themes include friendship and overcoming differences. This book focuses on two young girls, Ivy and Bean, who are almost complete opposites of one another. Ivy is more of a shy and timid girl, while Bean is outgoing and confident. In the beginning of the book, the two dislike each other as they notice that they are more different than they are alike. However, throughout the book, the two begin to realize that, even though they are wildly different people, they enjoy each other's company. I believe that this book would be an excellent choice for young girls, as it is specifically geared towards them. In addition, this book can help teach young readers the important show more life lesson, that differences are supposed to bring people together, not tear them apart. show less

Ivy and Bean may seem like unlikely buddies, but they complement each other beautifully. Bean's mother suggests an idea that’s usually the kiss of death for a new friendship: Why doesn’t Bean play with Ivy, the new girl across the street? “She seems like such a nice girl,” says Mom. Seven-year-old Bean tells her mother she already has plenty of friends (“Nice, Bean knew, is another word for boring”).

Full review:
http://www.twentybyjenny.com/812Books/review/ivy-and-bean/