Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Books in rhyme ... Bella and Bean



                Author:  Rebecca Kai Dotlich and Aileen Leijten  ( recommended for ages: 3-7)

This book is a gem.  Bella is the resident poet and Bean is a creative busybody but they are close, close friends even though they are totally different.  Bella wants to be left alone to play with words, juggle words, sort words and put them in a sequence that results in a poem.  Bean, on the other hand, constantly interrupts and disturbs Bella's train of thought. She comes across as very disruptive and kind of annoying really.  She wants Bella to look at her new hat and cute toes or to help her plant a bush anything to get her friend's attention away from her writing.

 "My," says Bean, "Aren't we grumpy."

If you have ever tried to compose something from your heart and have it flow onto paper you can understand Bella's frustration with the constant hold-ups by her very best friend.  Bella manages to resist until evening and then she begins to write about her friend.  There are examples throughout the book of metaphors, similes and  fun wordplay.  The author eventually dovetails the themes of poetry and friendship together as both Bella and Bean collaborate on a poem about "us."

Lessons learned through reading the book:  You can be as different as apples and oranges and still be close friends. Writing poetry can be a wonderful expression of yourself and actually can be fun.  All in all it is a sweet tale, written in rhyme that I am sure you will enjoy.




Book review rating:   8   (Fantastic)

Read on and read always!  Have an awesome day.

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