International Ivy & Bean Day - Review of Ivy & Bean Make the Rules

Author: Annie Barrows
Illustrator: Sophie Blackall
Publisher: Chronicle Books (October 2012)
Independent Reading: Grades 2nd to 4th
Read Aloud: Grades 1st to 3rd
Fiction * Friendship * Camp

Description from GoodReads:
Bean's older sister, Nancy, is going to Girl Power 4-Ever Camp, where she will do Crafts and Music and First Aid and other secret things that Bean will never know about because girls have to be eleven to go to Girl Power 4-Ever Camp. Bean doesn't care. She doesn't want to go to camp. She wouldn't go even if they begged her. So ha. So ha ha. So-wait a second Bean and Ivy can make their own camp, their own better camp: Camp Flaming Arrow, where counselors Ivy and Bean will give a whole new meaning to Crafts, Music, First Aid, and hands-on learning

My thoughts on the book:
I can honestly say that with each installment of Ivy & Bean I have come to adore these two friends more.  In Ivy & Bean Make the Rules, our two friends have decided to hold their own day camp since they aren't old enough to attend Girl Power 4-Ever Camp with Bean's older sister Nancy. 

As I was reading the book, it made me realize that today it is so much harder for children just to gather together in a park and play.  In many areas, children aren't allowed to leave their homes or yards and if at a park there would be so much adult supervision it would limit some of the freedom and the creativity that Ivy & Bean created in their make-believe camp.  But I digress...

Bean develops an idea of starting their own camp which despite an attempt to model things after Nancy's Girl Power 4-Ever Camp seems to be uniquely Ivy & Bean.  The two girls connect up with the visiting Franny and Harlan (siblings) and develop their own version of crafts, and nature study and even Women's History.  Over the week, more and more children join in on the fun...or maybe I should say chaos.  In the end, the reader can decide who had more fun - Nancy at real camp or Ivy & Bean at their made-up camp, Camp Flaming Arrow.

Yay to Annie Barrows for another great Ivy & Bean book.  I look forward to more adventures from our creative friends.   

Today is the first International Ivy and Bean Day! and the end of the nine week long Ivy and Bean Blog-A-Bration that also included huge giveaways and features of each of the other eight books in the series. Congratulations to The Grand Prize winner - Becky Wilson of Flint Hill Elementary School who entered at Sharpread blog!

Thank you Chronicle Books for organizing the blog-a-bration, and all the other pieces to this celebration.

Happy International Ivy & Bean Day - Thank you Chronicle for this video:

 

Ivy & Bean Day Blog-a-bration Week 8

And the count down to the 1st Annual International Ivy & Bean Day continues.  This week Chronicle Books is giving away a copy of Ivy & Bean Book 8: No News is Good News to one lucky winner and a set of mini-note cards to 3 other winners. Click here to check out the Ivy & Bean official page.

Description of the Book from GoodReads:
Ivy and Bean need some money. Ten dollars, to be exact. Never mind what for. Okay, it s for low-fat Belldeloon cheese in a special just-for you serving size. Don t ask why. How are Ivy and Bean going to make ten dollars? Hey, maybe they should write a newspaper about Pancake Court and sell it! Great idea! And easy, too. All they have to do is snoop around the neighborhood. Wow...It s very interesting what they can find out. It s even more interesting when the neighbors read about it in the newspaper.

Mini-review - My thoughts on this book:
Ivy & Bean need to find a way to purchase cheese - yep, the kind that comes encased in red wax. With an idea from Bean's dad the girls sell and create a newspaper. And do it all in classic Ivy & Bean style. One of the things I love about Ivy & Bean books is how each situation has an element that rings true.  Second thing I love is how one thing always leads to another that leads to another and before you know it - watch out, trouble has arrived.  And with that trouble a lesson to learn from.  In Book 8, No News is Good News, Ivy and Bean learn the lesson about newspaper reporting and what can and cannot be told about your neighbors.  

 Over this series of books, it has been fun to watch the characters grow in some ways but maintain that same great spirit of fun and adventure that began in the first book.   As a result, I think I have come to love Ivy & Bean even more with each book that comes out.
 
Other Bloggers celebrating Ivy & Bean Blog-a-Bration:
                     Media Darlings                                  
                     There's A Book                                  
                    In the Pages                                      
                      The O.W.L.                                         
                  Coquette Maman                            
                   Ruth Ayres Writes                           
Watch. Connect. Read.
                 One Page to the Next                    
                 Van Meter Library Voice               
               The Family That Reads Together
                Roundtable Reviews for Kids      
                 Sharpread                                    
                                                               The Children's Book Review    

This week's giveaway will run from October 5th-October 7th.  Don't forget to enter the giveaway by filling in the form at the bottom of the page.

The Winners of this week's giveaways will be entered into the Grand Prize Giveaway.  Thanks Chronicle Books for this great prize pack:

A complete set of Ivy and Bean hardcover books signed by Annie Barrows 

1 set of Ivy and Bean Paper Dolls 

1 Ivy and Bean Button Factory 

1 Ivy and Bean READ Poster signed by Annie Barrows 

Set of Ivy and Bean Silly Bandz · Set of Ivy and Bean stickers  
And a set of IVY & BEAN Dolls!!!! 


Ivy & Bean Day Blog-a-Bration Week 7

And the count down to the 1st Annual International Ivy & Bean Day continues.  This week Chronicle Books is giving away a copy of Ivy & Bean Book 7: What's the Big Idea to one lucky winner and a set of mini-note cards to 3 other winners. Click here to check out the Ivy & Bean official page.

This isn't going to help with Global Warming, but couldn't you just see Ivy & Bean writing secret messages to one another using Invisible Ink?  Thanks to Morgan over in the Kid's Department at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena for the idea.  As we chatted about book 7, science fairs, Ivy & Bean, we couldn't help but think that both Ivy & Bean would love this idea.

Here is a video on how to make Invisible Ink:



Here is a different recipe from Kidzworld.com on how to make invisible ink:

Invisible Ink the Baking Soda Way 
Mix about 1/4 cup (60 ml) of baking soda and 1/4 cup (60 ml) of water. Next, write using a Q-tip, toothpick or brush on a piece of paper. Let it dry completely. To read the secret message, paint grape juice concentrate across the paper with a paint brush or a sponge. Don't forget - grape juice stains. Why it works: Grape juice has an acid that reacts with the baking soda. A different color appears wherever the secret message is written.

Other Bloggers celebrating Ivy & Bean Blog-a-Bration:

                     Media Darlings                                  
                     There's A Book                                  
                    In the Pages                                      
                      The O.W.L.                                         
                  Coquette Maman                            
                   Ruth Ayres Writes                           
Watch. Connect. Read.
                 One Page to the Next                    
                 Van Meter Library Voice               
               The Family That Reads Together
                Roundtable Reviews for Kids      
                 Sharpread                                    
                                                               The Children's Book Review    

This week's giveaway will run from September 27th to September 29th.  Don't forget to enter the giveaway by filling in the form at the bottom of the page.

The Winners of this week's giveaways will be entered into the Grand Prize Giveaway.  Thanks Chronicle Books for this great prize pack:


A complete set of Ivy and Bean hardcover books signed by Annie Barrows 

1 set of Ivy and Bean Paper Dolls 

1 Ivy and Bean Button Factory 

1 Ivy and Bean READ Poster signed by Annie Barrows 

Set of Ivy and Bean Silly Bandz · Set of Ivy and Bean stickers 

AND – a super-secret really cool prize we’re working on (stay tuned!) 


Ivy & Bean Day Blog-a-bration Week 6


And the count down to the 1st Annual International Ivy & Bean Day continues.  This week Chronicle Books is giving away a copy of Ivy & Bean Book 6: Doomed to Dance to one lucky winner and a set of mini-note cards to 3 other winners. Click here to check out the Ivy & Bean official page.


Check out the official book trailer from Chronicle:



In Doomed to Dance, Ivy and Bean find out that ballet may not be exactly what they expected.  Check out these other titles that would pair nicely with Doomed to Dance. I wonder if Ivy & Bean had read these books if they would have had a better experience.  They might have but we wouldn't have had as many laughs.


Invitation to Ballet:  A Celebration of Dance and Degas by Carolyn Vaughan; Illustrated by Rachel Isadora - The art of Degas is paired up with information about ballet, ballet positions, and various dances. 


Tallulah's Solo by Marilyn Singer; Illustrated by Alexandra Boiger  - This picture book explores

Other Bloggers celebrating Ivy & Bean Blog-a-Bration:

                     Media Darlings                                  
                     There's A Book                                  
                    In the Pages                                      
                      The O.W.L.                                         
                  Coquette Maman                            
                   Ruth Ayres Writes                           
Watch. Connect. Read.
                 One Page to the Next                    
                 Van Meter Library Voice               
               The Family That Reads Together
                Roundtable Reviews for Kids      
                 Sharpread                                    
                                                               The Children's Book Review    

This week's giveaway will run from September 19th to September 22nd.  Don't forget to enter the giveaway by filling in the form at the bottom of the page.

The Winners of this week's giveaways will be entered into the Grand Prize Giveaway.  Thanks Chronicle Books for this great prize pack:


A complete set of Ivy and Bean hardcover books signed by Annie Barrows 

1 set of Ivy and Bean Paper Dolls 

1 Ivy and Bean Button Factory 

1 Ivy and Bean READ Poster signed by Annie Barrows 

Set of Ivy and Bean Silly Bandz · Set of Ivy and Bean stickers 

AND – a super-secret really cool prize we’re working on (stay tuned!) 

 
 

Ivy & Bean Day Blog-a-Bration Week 5


And the count down to the 1st Annual International Ivy & Bean Day continues.  This week Chronicle Books is giving away a copy of Ivy & Bean Book 5: Bound to be Bad to one lucky winner and a set of mini-note cards to 3 other winners. Click here to check out the Ivy & Bean official page.


As I was thinking about this week's post to celebrate Ivy & Bean, I thought about what a play date would be like with the two friends.  I put the question out to my friends asking them what they would do on a play date with Ivy & Bean or what would happen if a character from another book encountered our two friends.  Here is what I discovered:


@mrschureads -
"Wouldn't it be fun if Babymouse showed up in an Ivy and Bean book and if Ivy and Bean showed up in a Babymouse book? Babymouse would pull the girls into one of her famous daydream sequences. They would most likely eat cupcakes, dance, read books, snoop on Nancy, and share MANY good laughs."


@katsok -
"I'd love to see Ivy and Bean have a playdate with Sara Pennypacker's Clementine. At first I thought Bean and Clementine could get into some crazy trouble (what fun!) but the more I dreamed about it the more I thought, who knows? Ivy might dream up a crazy adventure for them all. One thing is for sure, I'd love to read about it." :)



@colbysharp -
"I would love to see Ivy + Bean have a play date with Dwight from The Strange Case of Origami Yoda. I think they would start by digging some holes and sitting in them. Bean would be game, but I'm not thinking Ivy would be a fan. After the hole digging, I think they would hang out together folding origami."


@mentortexts -
"I couldn't imagine just having Ivy and Bean over for a literary playdate - I would have to throw a party for them! Here is my literary guest list: Ramona (of the series by Beverly Cleary), Just Grace (from Charise Mericle Harper's series), Marty Maguire (who digs worms thanks to Kate Messner), and the ever adorable duo, Bink and Gollie (brought to us by Kate DiCamillo and Allison McGhee).

The theme of this uber-awesome literary bash would be: Upcycle Your Life! We would listen to fun music and turn pop can tabs into bracelets and Starburst wrappers into purses and duct tape into wallets and bright socks into kites. Then we would sell all these items at an outdoor market and donate all the money we make to libraries or science or pancakes. And it would be awesome. It would be the event of the year! What a wonderfully fun idea! Now I just wish I could actually throw this party and invite some of my favorite book girls!"


@maryannscheuer
"I'd definitely like to play with Bean. You see, I'm kinda shy and quiet. And Bean always thinks of such fun things to do. But like Ivy, I am really full of mischief and ready to try new things out.

I'd have loved Bean to come over to  my house when I was a kid. I remember one time we tried making a pond in our back yard by digging a HUGE hole in the dirt orchard. We dug and dug and dug, and then started filling it with water. Well, as you can imagine, the water just turned it into one giant mud pit. We stomped around and around in this pond. Bean would have had a great time with us, and I'm sure she would have had even more ideas of what to do with our giant mud pond."

Thanks everyone for your wonderful suggestions for play dates with Ivy & Bean.  

Other Bloggers celebrating Ivy & Bean Blog-a-Bration:


                     Media Darlings                                  
                     There's A Book                                  
                    In the Pages                                      
                      The O.W.L.                                         
                  Coquette Maman                            
                   Ruth Ayres Writes                           
Watch. Connect. Read.
                 One Page to the Next                    
                 Van Meter Library Voice               
               The Family That Reads Together
                Roundtable Reviews for Kids      
                 Sharpread                                    
                                                               The Children's Book Review    

This week's giveaway will run from September 13th to September 15th.  Don't forget to enter the giveaway by filling in the form at the bottom of the page.

The Winners of this week's giveaways will be entered into the Grand Prize Giveaway.  Thanks Chronicle Books for this great prize pack:


A complete set of Ivy and Bean hardcover books signed by Annie Barrows 

1 set of Ivy and Bean Paper Dolls 

1 Ivy and Bean Button Factory 

1 Ivy and Bean READ Poster signed by Annie Barrows 

Set of Ivy and Bean Silly Bandz · Set of Ivy and Bean stickers 

AND – a super-secret really cool prize we’re working on (stay tuned!)