Skip to main content

Full of Beans

Image
By


Full of Beans 
By Jennifer L. Holm
Random House Children’s Books, 2016. 208 p.

Once upon a time I discovered a book called Boston Jane: an Adventure by Jennifer L. Holm. I fell in love with this book! It had drama, romance, and some adventure—along with a fun historical fictional world. Of course I fell in love with the book. And I was so pleased when along came two other books in that series. But I digress. That was my first introduction to the world of Jennifer L. Holm. I next read about a young girl in a home full of brothers that tries to figure out who she is. Then I read (and enjoyed the illustrations by the author’s brother Matthew Holm) about a mouse who went to school and LOVED the color pink. Then along came Turtle in Paradise where a girl named Turtle has to go and live with her relatives in Key West, Florida. Now that was a great book as well!

Fast forward to this year and just imagine how happy I was that Jennifer Holm had written yet another book. And this one was about Turtle’s relatives! Full of Beans is about life in Key West before Turtle arrives. It tells the story about Beans and how he got his nickname. And how he got the famous (perhaps infamous) Diaper Gang started. This book is another example of great characters fighting just to survive in a hard time (that whole Great Depression thing). Historical fiction done well not only introduces characters to what life was like in a certain place in a certain time in history—but it also makes readers think about that time. And that is what will happen here. Readers may wonder what they would do if they lived in Key West or the Great Depression (would they paint their house pink or go along with the scheme to help move the “coffins”?) or if they were Bean’s friend (or not depending upon how they shot marbles or if they were good with keeping the secret of the diaper rash formula). And this book will make readers think. Mostly it will make them think because the characters and the setting seem so real that the things in the book will seem like part of everyday life. I seriously don’t know how Jennifer Holm does it, but yet again she has written a historical fiction novel that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Other books by Holm that I didn’t mention above that I also enjoyed:
Penny From Heaven 
The Fourteenth Goldfish
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

An ABC of Flowers

By
An ABC of Flowers   by Jutta Hilpuesch New York, NY : Philomel Books, [2019] It turns out there really is a flower for every letter. This sweet book has a photograph of every flower and  a sweet cartoon illustration to go along with it. All your favorite flowers are here (forget-me-nots, mums, and sunflowers), along with some you probably haven't heard of before (billy ball, kalanchoe, xeranthemum?).  This is a perfect book for reading together, and readers of any age will enjoy every page. Don't miss this great springtime alphabet book. 
Post a Comment
Read more

From Story Time: The Letter "B"

By
From Monday Book Babies Bird, Balloon, Bear By Il Sung Na Alfred A. Knopf, 2017.  Picture Book. Bird is new to the forest, and he’s looking for a friend. Bear could use a friend, too. But Bird is too shy to introduce himself. Just as he musters the courage to say hello . . . it’s too late! Bear has already found a friend: a bright, shiny red balloon. Has Bird missed his chance?  From the acclaimed Il Sung Na comes a charming and beautifully illustrated story about courage, kindness, and friendship.  --Publisher From Monday Cuentos El primer día de un colegio Texto de Adam Rex Ilustraciones de Christian Robinson Traducción de Teresa Mlawer Editorial Corimbo, 2017.  Spanish Picture Book. Aquel verano, cuando terminaron de construir la escuela Frederick Douglass, el edificio comenzó a hacerse muchas preguntas: ¿Cuál será mi destino? ¿Quién vivirá entre mis paredes? ¿Para qué me utilizarán? Através de sus conversaciones con el conserje y t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Display: Out of this World Books Found Here

By
Hello By Aiko Ikegami Berkeley, CA: Creston Books, 2019. Picture book. In this wordless picture book, an alien visits Earth, makes friends with a little girl, and returns to his home planet to share his experiences. - Publisher We Are Definitely Human By X. Fang Toronto: Tundra Books, 2024. Picture book. When three mysterious visitors from "Europe" crash-land in Mr. Li's field, he does what any good host would: he invites them back to his farmhouse and offers to help fix up their "car". No, there's nothing strange about these guests at all. Just like other humans, they "make business", "play sportsball" and "wear hat". As the townsfolk also come to the aid of the visitors and the gathering turns into a little party, interplanetary relations reach an all-time high. - Publisher Greetings Floof! Written by C.J. Hong Illustrated by A.J. Smith Toronto: Kids Can Press, 2024. Picture book. Floof from planet Ploof has landed! And it...
Post a Comment
Read more