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sqeeker's review against another edition
3.0
- When I was little, I wanted animals to be my friends just like in Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. Sadly, I could never get a bird to land on my finger. I think it is hilarious that Ivy and Bean try to get animals to flock to them by being extra good.
- I love when Bean decides she wants to be bad instead of good. She does some funny things.
- Can you believe Gnome and I have read 5 of these!? The series really grows on you.
- Gnome and I both enjoyed this. I think Gnome enjoys these more than me, but I think they are cute and true to life.
- I love when Bean decides she wants to be bad instead of good. She does some funny things.
- Can you believe Gnome and I have read 5 of these!? The series really grows on you.
- Gnome and I both enjoyed this. I think Gnome enjoys these more than me, but I think they are cute and true to life.
aurigae's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the premise - Bean, who always gets into scrapes, explores intentional “badness” - but the execution was a bit too intense for my taste. There’s a fair amount of bullying that feels sloppily addressed, and there’s no real lesson about the ideas of good and bad. Not that every children’s book has to have a lesson, but I think this book needed one.
ikuo1000's review against another edition
2.0
This book was surprisingly... boring. Other books that I've read in this series all have a solid plot to drive the story along, but this one just seemed lacking.
Ivy was on a mission to be "pure of heart" in order to attract wild animals who would love her for her goodness. It seemed to me that Ivy's inspiration came from having seen a picture of St. Francis of Assisi, and it would have been nice if the book had mentioned him by name, like how Book 3 mentioned Mary Anning by name. Anyway, Ivy decided that the best way to be good would be for Bean to be especially bad, and then Ivy could reform her. Somehow, the story just didn't pull me in. I wasn't really interested in finding out what would happen next.
Now, you might think, from my previous reviews of these books, that the "bad" versus "good" behavior would turn me off. Actually, I liked the tone set by the opening chapters, in which Bean's bad behavior was explicitly presented as "bad", and she finally faced clear consequences for her actions. Even when Bean - and the other neighborhood kids - were purposely trying to behave badly, I was somehow less bothered by the bad behavior in this book than in other Ivy + Bean books because in this case, the context showed that the kids clearly understood that they were behaving badly. They chose to behave badly, which means they understood that bad behavior resulted from bad decisions. (In other Ivy + Bean books, bad behavior comes across as just "regular behavior", and consequences are rare.)
Ironically, Isabelle was turned off enough by the bad behavior in this book that she at first gave it 2 stars! But then she upgraded it to 4 stars because she admitted that she still enjoyed the book. And she did read it mostly in one sitting, with just one snack break.
Most of the bad behavior in this book did not involve mistreating others, but when it did, I was on the one hand gratified that Ivy and Bean did not get away with their meanness (finally!), but on the other hand disappointed that the other kids returned meanness with more meanness (even if it was kind of funny).
Ivy was on a mission to be "pure of heart" in order to attract wild animals who would love her for her goodness. It seemed to me that Ivy's inspiration came from having seen a picture of St. Francis of Assisi, and it would have been nice if the book had mentioned him by name, like how Book 3 mentioned Mary Anning by name. Anyway, Ivy decided that the best way to be good would be for Bean to be especially bad, and then Ivy could reform her. Somehow, the story just didn't pull me in. I wasn't really interested in finding out what would happen next.
Now, you might think, from my previous reviews of these books, that the "bad" versus "good" behavior would turn me off. Actually, I liked the tone set by the opening chapters, in which Bean's bad behavior was explicitly presented as "bad", and she finally faced clear consequences for her actions. Even when Bean - and the other neighborhood kids - were purposely trying to behave badly, I was somehow less bothered by the bad behavior in this book than in other Ivy + Bean books because in this case, the context showed that the kids clearly understood that they were behaving badly. They chose to behave badly, which means they understood that bad behavior resulted from bad decisions. (In other Ivy + Bean books, bad behavior comes across as just "regular behavior", and consequences are rare.)
Ironically, Isabelle was turned off enough by the bad behavior in this book that she at first gave it 2 stars! But then she upgraded it to 4 stars because she admitted that she still enjoyed the book. And she did read it mostly in one sitting, with just one snack break.
Most of the bad behavior in this book did not involve mistreating others, but when it did, I was on the one hand gratified that Ivy and Bean did not get away with their meanness (finally!), but on the other hand disappointed that the other kids returned meanness with more meanness (even if it was kind of funny).
tannehilla327's review against another edition
4.0
Cute beginner chapter book! Easy and quick to read.
kismetically's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
lokipokey75's review against another edition
3.0
Ivy and Bean: Bound to be Bad is a charming book for young children, that is both playful and funny. It is about the character Bean, a little troublemaker who aids her friend Ivy in her quest to be good. Along the way, they discover that being bad might pave the way to being good. From stealing candy to dousing Crummy Matt's younger brother with water, they unintentionally spread chaos throughout the neighborhood until Crummy Matt shows up to avenge his little bro.
It's the small moments in this book that really make it shine. Like when Ivy's mom is lying on the couch with cucumbers on her face that fall off when she speaks or the clever way it's revealed that Bean stole Nancy's yarn. The scenarios the kids engage are quite believable, as is their behavior and characterization. For instance, despite the fact that Ivy wants to be good, she nonetheless assists Bean in spraying Dino with a hose. She's a child; she can't resist the lure of a good prank. It definitely captures the way children think and act and its humor is its strongest asset.
It's the small moments in this book that really make it shine. Like when Ivy's mom is lying on the couch with cucumbers on her face that fall off when she speaks or the clever way it's revealed that Bean stole Nancy's yarn. The scenarios the kids engage are quite believable, as is their behavior and characterization. For instance, despite the fact that Ivy wants to be good, she nonetheless assists Bean in spraying Dino with a hose. She's a child; she can't resist the lure of a good prank. It definitely captures the way children think and act and its humor is its strongest asset.