2022
WISE Score
Amazon
The ultimate 'opposites attract' friendship story for kids who think they have nothing in common with the girl next door.
4.6
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Ivy & Bean is the antidote to 'boring' school books. It’s got just enough mischief to keep a 7-year-old engaged without being actually 'bad.'
It captures that specific magic of childhood where a neighbor you ignored for months suddenly becomes your partner in crime. It’s funny, fast-paced, and honestly, a relief to read something that feels like real kids talking. If your kid is bored with 'safe' readers, give them this. It's a classic for a reason.
Perfect for 6-9 year olds. It's the sweet spot for 1st through 3rd graders who are starting to read independently but still love a funny story about neighborhood high jinks.
The core of the story is about breaking down prejudices and finding friendship in unexpected places. While Bean is a bit of a 'stinker' to her older sister, it's a realistic depiction of sibling dynamics rather than mean-spiritedness.
Ivy’s 'witch-in-training' persona and the duo's elaborate backyard adventures encourage the kind of unstructured, creative play that's becoming rare in the iPad era.
It's a children's chapter book. The 'danger' is limited to mild pranks and hiding in bushes. No heavy themes, violence, or content that requires a warning label.
Excellent for literacy development. The vocabulary is accessible but not 'babyish,' and the social-emotional lessons about empathy are baked into the humor rather than lectured.
We’ve all told our kids not to judge a book by its cover, but Ivy & Bean is a story about how kids judge each other by their outfits. Bean is the quintessential "outside" kid—loud, messy, and perpetually looking for a way to annoy her older sister, Nancy. Ivy is the girl who sits on her porch in a dress, looking like she’s auditioning for a Victorian tea party. On paper, they should hate each other.
The brilliance of Annie Barrows’ writing is how quickly she dismantles that. The moment Ivy reveals she’s not just "sitting there" but is actually a world-class pretend witch in training, the social barrier vanishes. It’s a perfect representation of how seven-year-olds actually make friends: through a sudden, shared mission that usually involves a bit of light mischief.
If you have a kid who is bored to tears by "leveled readers" about cats sitting on mats, this is your pivot. The book functions as a high-speed confidence builder. The chapters are short, the font is large, and the illustrations by Sophie Blackall (who somehow makes a backyard look like a high-stakes adventure zone) are frequent enough to keep visual learners from burning out.
It hits a sweet spot between the chaotic energy of Junie B. Jones and the more grounded, emotional realism of Ramona Quimby. Unlike Junie B., Bean doesn't use "baby" grammar, which is a relief for parents who can’t stand reading intentional misspellings aloud. The vocabulary is accessible but doesn't talk down to the reader.
Every great children's book needs a foil, and Nancy is a classic one. She’s the older sister who is "too old" for games but not quite old enough to be in charge. The conflict between Bean and Nancy is the engine of the first book.
Some parents might bristle at Bean’s attitude—she spends a significant amount of time trying to trick Nancy or hide from her—but it’s handled with a sense of play rather than malice. The "spell" they try to cast on Nancy involves a "dancing powder" made of flour and worms. It’s gross, it’s funny, and it’s exactly what a bored kid in a backyard would dream up. If your child is a strict rule-follower, use this as a chance to talk about the difference between being mean and being a prankster.
There’s a reason this series has maintained its status for nearly two decades. It doesn't try to teach a heavy-handed lesson about sharing or "being yourself." Instead, it just shows two kids being weird together.
In a world where so much media for this age group feels sanitized or overly educational, Ivy & Bean feels like a secret clubhouse. It’s about the specific joy of finding the one person who is just as strange as you are. If your kid finishes this one, there are over a dozen more in the series, making it a reliable "set it and forget it" option for your library trips for the next six months.
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