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The Labyrinth
Each picture book in the Lima Bear Stories series delivers messages for children to help them handle everyday situations with siblings and friends, including tolerance, honesty, and courage. Basic characters, each with their own distinct personality, appear and reappear throughout the series, allowing children to get to know them and anticipate how they are likely to act in different situations. Extended learning and activity questions are included to allow parents and teachers to further encourage children to become involved in the concepts presented. As princess Belinda Bean takes the throne as queen and ruler of Beandom, all are happy except for the duke, Mean Ol’ Bean, who wants to be king. He lures her into a magic labyrinth from which there is no escape—until L. Joe Bean, one of her subjects, discovers the plot and mounts a rescue attempt. The primary message presented in the story Always make room for forgiveness in your heart.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2012
About the author
Thomas Weck
14 books2 followersThomas Weck is a creative and captivating national award-winning author of children’s books. With four children of his own and a keen observer of children in many environments in the US and in foreign countries, including teaching children through the Peace Corps, he has distilled these observations into stories that excite the imagination of young minds amidst peals of laughter and learning.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 10, 2014
The Labyrinth is a picture book within the Lima Bear Stories series written by father-son team, Thomas Weck and Peter Weck. In this story, Mean Ol' Bean wants to be king so he attempts to trick Princess Belinda by luring her into a labyrinth with a magical garden in its center. When he attempts to escape the labyrinth and strand the princess in the middle, his plan goes awry when L. Joe Bean, a loyal subject rescues both the princess and Mean Ol' Bean.
I really enjoyed this wonderful little picture book and its fairy-tale style of story-telling. The story features a common theme with a villain trying to be the ruler of the land by disposing of his competition until a pint-sized bear emerges to save the day. The characters are well developed and depicted brilliantly through both the illustrations and the writing with Mean Ol' Bean as the villain, and L. Joe Bean as the hero. And, in this case, L. Joe Bean truly is a hero because he saves both the princess and the villain.
There are a few very clever things inserted in the book that adults will pick up on and get a chuckle out of including the play on words/letters with the character L. Joe Bean (perhaps a play on L. L. Bean the store?) and the cutting of an "L" into the chariot and shirt of Mean Ol' Bear (a nod to the mark of Zorro, perchance?) There are many fun and exciting scenes contained within the book that will definitely keep children's attention and have them cheering and jeering along with the story.
The book includes full-page illustrations that appear to be hand-drawn in colored pencil. They are very beautiful and detailed. The illustrator did an incredible job providing the contrast between the evil Mean Ol' Bear and the other characters. The book itself is very sturdy and is quite large (81/2" x 11"). This is a very high quality book physically. Worthy of a mention are the learning extensions included in the back of the book giving parents, teachers or librarians ideas for questions to ask before, during, and after reading the book, as well as a number of suggested activities to supplement the text. I thought this was very well done!
My Bottom Line:
This wonderful picture book uses a fairy-tale style to tell the story about evil Mean Ol' Bean who tries to trick Princess Belinda into getting lost in a labyrinth only to be outwitted by L. Joe Bean, a pint-sized hero. I recommend this book to parents, teachers and librarians who can read the story and use the learning extensions to further enhance the reading of this fun little story. Ages 4 to 8.
I received a copy of this book free-of-charge from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed are my own.
I really enjoyed this wonderful little picture book and its fairy-tale style of story-telling. The story features a common theme with a villain trying to be the ruler of the land by disposing of his competition until a pint-sized bear emerges to save the day. The characters are well developed and depicted brilliantly through both the illustrations and the writing with Mean Ol' Bean as the villain, and L. Joe Bean as the hero. And, in this case, L. Joe Bean truly is a hero because he saves both the princess and the villain.
There are a few very clever things inserted in the book that adults will pick up on and get a chuckle out of including the play on words/letters with the character L. Joe Bean (perhaps a play on L. L. Bean the store?) and the cutting of an "L" into the chariot and shirt of Mean Ol' Bear (a nod to the mark of Zorro, perchance?) There are many fun and exciting scenes contained within the book that will definitely keep children's attention and have them cheering and jeering along with the story.
The book includes full-page illustrations that appear to be hand-drawn in colored pencil. They are very beautiful and detailed. The illustrator did an incredible job providing the contrast between the evil Mean Ol' Bear and the other characters. The book itself is very sturdy and is quite large (81/2" x 11"). This is a very high quality book physically. Worthy of a mention are the learning extensions included in the back of the book giving parents, teachers or librarians ideas for questions to ask before, during, and after reading the book, as well as a number of suggested activities to supplement the text. I thought this was very well done!
My Bottom Line:
This wonderful picture book uses a fairy-tale style to tell the story about evil Mean Ol' Bean who tries to trick Princess Belinda into getting lost in a labyrinth only to be outwitted by L. Joe Bean, a pint-sized hero. I recommend this book to parents, teachers and librarians who can read the story and use the learning extensions to further enhance the reading of this fun little story. Ages 4 to 8.
I received a copy of this book free-of-charge from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed are my own.
July 22, 2012
The Labyrinth is a wonderful fast paced, interactive story for children. My daughter absolutely adores it. We read it every night for a full week. Sometimes I would read the story to her, and sometimes she would read it to me.
The story revolves around Mean Ole Bean, who wants to take over the throne! He lures Queen Belinda Bean into a labyrinth from which there is no escape. Can L. Joe Bean uncover the plot and save the day? What will happen to Mean Ole Bean? You will have to read the story to find out!
The book has some beautiful illustrations. My daughter loves looking at the pictures and talking about what she sees. The story allows us to tackle a tricky subjects like jealousy and courage in a way that my daughter is able to understand.
There is a great little rhyme in the story that she “reads” with me. It’s highlighted in a different colour, so she knows when it’s coming up. It’s a fun way to encourage her to participate in reading the book with me.
At the back of the book there are suggestions to enhance your child’s reading experience and further learning. The authors have added suggestions on activities and questions that you can before, during and after you read the story with your child. They have also included some great activities to do. One of the activities suggested is “Wind Watcher”. It suggests that we watch the wind for a while and chart our observations. Although we didn’t do the charting, I picked up a rainbow pin-wheel and we take some time each day to figure out what the wind is doing using the descriptions provided.
This is the fourth title in The Lima Bear Stories series. It is a stand alone story. I haven’t read the other stories (yet), but hope to do so soon! Other titles include The Megasaurus, How Back-Back Got His Name, and The Cave Monster.
Disclosure: I received the products mentioned above for this review. No monetary compensation was received by me. This is my completely honest opinion above and may differ from yours.
The story revolves around Mean Ole Bean, who wants to take over the throne! He lures Queen Belinda Bean into a labyrinth from which there is no escape. Can L. Joe Bean uncover the plot and save the day? What will happen to Mean Ole Bean? You will have to read the story to find out!
The book has some beautiful illustrations. My daughter loves looking at the pictures and talking about what she sees. The story allows us to tackle a tricky subjects like jealousy and courage in a way that my daughter is able to understand.
There is a great little rhyme in the story that she “reads” with me. It’s highlighted in a different colour, so she knows when it’s coming up. It’s a fun way to encourage her to participate in reading the book with me.
At the back of the book there are suggestions to enhance your child’s reading experience and further learning. The authors have added suggestions on activities and questions that you can before, during and after you read the story with your child. They have also included some great activities to do. One of the activities suggested is “Wind Watcher”. It suggests that we watch the wind for a while and chart our observations. Although we didn’t do the charting, I picked up a rainbow pin-wheel and we take some time each day to figure out what the wind is doing using the descriptions provided.
This is the fourth title in The Lima Bear Stories series. It is a stand alone story. I haven’t read the other stories (yet), but hope to do so soon! Other titles include The Megasaurus, How Back-Back Got His Name, and The Cave Monster.
Disclosure: I received the products mentioned above for this review. No monetary compensation was received by me. This is my completely honest opinion above and may differ from yours.
August 23, 2012
Do you know what a labyrinth is? Kind and good King Limalot Bear has ruled the kingdom of Beandom for many years, but now he has grown too old and makes his daughter, Princess Belinda Bean, the new queen. Everyone is happy, that is except for jealous Mean Ol’ Bean, who wants to be king instead. Belinda loves flowers, so he decides to get rid of her by luring her into a labyrinth or maze near the castle which has a magic flower garden in its center and trapping her there forever so that he can be king. However, Lima Bear’s cousin, L. Joe Bean, who is very small but is also the wisest man in the kingdom, learns about Mean Ol’ Bean’s plot. What can L. Joe Bean do to save the Queen? Will Queen Belinda be captured or will she be able to escape? And what will happen to Mean Ol’ Bean?
The Labyrinth is book number four in “The Lima Bear Stories.” Lima Bear and his friends are small, bean-sized creatures. I have previously had the privilege of reading and reviewing The Megasaurus, How Back-Back Got His Name, and The Cave Monster. Each one presents an important message, and the take-away lesson from this fourth volume is to have room in your heart for forgiveness. Children also will be introduced to having to deal with the problem of jealousy, which often results from something which they did innocently, and will learn that one doesn’t have to be large to accomplish good things. A couple of pages in the back of the book contain questions for before, during, and after reading and some hands-on activities to “Extend the Learning.” This is a story that will be both entertaining and meaningful whether read alone or read aloud.
The Labyrinth is book number four in “The Lima Bear Stories.” Lima Bear and his friends are small, bean-sized creatures. I have previously had the privilege of reading and reviewing The Megasaurus, How Back-Back Got His Name, and The Cave Monster. Each one presents an important message, and the take-away lesson from this fourth volume is to have room in your heart for forgiveness. Children also will be introduced to having to deal with the problem of jealousy, which often results from something which they did innocently, and will learn that one doesn’t have to be large to accomplish good things. A couple of pages in the back of the book contain questions for before, during, and after reading and some hands-on activities to “Extend the Learning.” This is a story that will be both entertaining and meaningful whether read alone or read aloud.
April 7, 2015
The Labyrinth is a one in a series of fully illustrated hardback children's books for kids aged 4-8. I am ahem…over 40…and they absolutely crack me up. In The Labyrinth, the fair Queen Belinda, known to be fond of flowers, was lured by Mean 'ol Bean to the very center of The Labyrinth in hopes of finding a magic garden.
Mean 'ol Bean planned to trap Princess Belinda Bean in the Labyrinth and swipe her crown for himself. Although Mean 'ol Bean managed to lure Princess Belinda Bean into the Labyrinth, he did not realize that he was being watched by one of the series' major characters, L. Joe Bean. L. Joe Bean was tiny, the size of a pinto bean, in fact, but he was very smart. He knew what Mean 'ol Bean was up to and was determined to save Princess Belinda Bean.
When Mean 'ol Bean gets stuck in the Labyrinth as well, L. Joe Bean has a choice to make. Should he punish Mean 'ol Bean for his nastiness or take pity on him and save him. The Labyrinth has ideas for interactive teaching and activities with your child in the back of the book. The additional activities can be found in the back of each of the Lima Bear Books. The book is entertaining and educational! The Labyrinth is a book that you will turn to again and again to read to your children and grand children.
~ Lima Bear Press gave me a copy of this book for an honest review. They got an honest review, I loved it.
April 22, 2015
" I received a complimentary copy of Labyrinth for review. All opinions shared are my own. "
My thoughts:
The illustrations were fun and cheerful.Full of imagination. We liked the extended learning page and activities ideas at the back of the book. These are very helpful for extensions in a classroom setting.
The story was a little bit longer and wordy for my younger toddler class. They really loved the rhyming through out like this " Oh, Mean ol’ Bean How he did scheme. To be rid of the Queen, That was his dream" . My son is six and he enjoyed the story and was cheering as L.Joe Bean came up with a plan to save the queen. As a mom and teacher I really appreciate the positive message that The Labyrinth shares . Jealousy is a tough emotion to deal with sometimes. I also love all of the problem solving and life lessons. The Labyrinth. (ages 4 to 8) and I think that is an accurate age recommendation.
My thoughts:
The illustrations were fun and cheerful.Full of imagination. We liked the extended learning page and activities ideas at the back of the book. These are very helpful for extensions in a classroom setting.
The story was a little bit longer and wordy for my younger toddler class. They really loved the rhyming through out like this " Oh, Mean ol’ Bean How he did scheme. To be rid of the Queen, That was his dream" . My son is six and he enjoyed the story and was cheering as L.Joe Bean came up with a plan to save the queen. As a mom and teacher I really appreciate the positive message that The Labyrinth shares . Jealousy is a tough emotion to deal with sometimes. I also love all of the problem solving and life lessons. The Labyrinth. (ages 4 to 8) and I think that is an accurate age recommendation.
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June 18, 2012Refreshing. Mean Ol' Bean is clearly a bully (in the classic fairy tale sense), but he doesn't overpower the story. The story is text-heavy, but there are several refrains about Mean Ol' Bean and his dreams that will keep young listeners involved.
Simple (well-done) rhyme and a clever story make this an enjoyable read for a variety of audiences..
Simple (well-done) rhyme and a clever story make this an enjoyable read for a variety of audiences..
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews