The Jellybeans and the Big Book Bonanza

by Laura Joffe Numeroff, Nate Evans, Lynn Munsinger (Illustrator)

Read this sweet New York Times bestselling series from the author of If You Give a Pig a Pancake, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, If You Give a Mouse a Brownie , and other beloved books.

The Jellybeans are back—this time in the library stacks to discover the varied and wonderful world of reading. When the Jellybeans go to the library to do research for book reports on the things they enjoy, Bitsy, who loves books more than anyone, is excited to bring her friends to her favorite place. Emily, who loves to dance, finds a book on ballet, Nicole, who loves sports, finds a book on soccer, and Anna, who loves art, finds a book on famous painters. But what about Bitsy? Can she find the perfect book, too? This energizing book promotes a love of reading by proving that there is the perfect book for everyone. Just as jellybeans are all different flavors but go great together, the girls again use their different strengths and talents to work as a team and make their school Book Bonanza a success.
F&P K
F&P F

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Friendship, Fiction, Animals, School, Books About Books

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2010

About the author

Laura Joffe Numeroff is the NYT best-selling author of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, What Mommies/Daddies Do Best and Raising a Hero. She was born in Brooklyn, New York and graduated from Pratt Institute. Laura grew up as the youngest of three girls, surrounded by art, music, and books. An avid animal lover, Laura has always wanted to write a book about service dogs. She now lives in Los Angeles, California.

Reviews

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love books about books. I love the illustration on the “Anna loved to read.” page; it looks a bit like my place, with books all over the place. I love the premise of the book. I love that the issue of being afraid to read in front of the class was addressed. I love how it shows that there are books for every taste and interest.

But I didn’t much like the book, story or illustrations. It just didn’t appeal to me.

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yep, any book that talks about matching books with children and what books can do to make you feel great things as well as develop self-confidence is a good thing.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Jellybeans and the Big Book Bonanza" is a cute story about three friends who calls themselves the jellybeans. They are each different with their own splash of spice, but that's what makes them the jellybeans because they all fit together.

In this short-story we find the jellybeans having to do a book report about themselves, meaning that they have to find a book that most interests them and write a report (tell a report) about it in front of the class. This is easy for one of the girls for she loves to read, but will the others find solace in the library like she does?

[Abigail Breaux · Rating 5 out of 5]

Four friends called themselves the Jellybeans because they were all different, but they went well together. Anna loved to read books, Emily loved to dance, Nicole loved to play soccer, and Bitsy loved to paint. It was time to do a book report at school and Anna’s friends were not thrilled. They soon realized that there was a book that will interest everyone at the library. The librarian helped the girls pick out stories that would interest them and the girls enjoyed them. I love this book and how to reminds us to pick up a book and read!

[Linda Klinedinst · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Jellybeans and the Big Book Bonanza

I really enjoyed this book. It is a very enjoyable book to read and of course it is about Books.

I give this Book 5/5 Stars

I would highly recommend this book - children who are learning to read can read this book and basically it is a Picture book.

Happy Reading :)

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bitsy's book. The four Jellybeans head to the library to discover there are books for everyone.
Lesson in friendship when they support Bitsy as she does an oral book report in class.

[Shelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

These four friends find out there are books for everyone.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anna loves to read and she takes center stage in this story with the Jellybean crew. Another good read with the gang.

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is basically a picture book about me and how much I love to read.

[Mely · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a cute girly book. Fits my little one perfectly as we LOVE going to the library and checking out different books. A cute, comfy story. Adorable illustrations.

[Brianna Canales · Rating 4 out of 5]

books, library, school, friends

[Alison Eddy - Kids Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughters love/d these books at 5 years old. Not my most favorites, but cute and the girls love love love them.

[Susan Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Cute story about reading & finding books that appeal to different readers. I just would have liked a little more to the story. (Library)

[Kelly Chester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute book

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an irresistible children's story about books. It's a great read for me, a Librarian, to share with my 6 year old Granddaughter. Truly a feel good story!

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Jellybeans are friends who are so different, but love and support each other through all things.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute illustrations. The message was good but a bit overbearing and obvious.

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Jellybeans and the Big Book Bonanza is about a girl, Anna, who loves to read. She reads everywhere she goes and she goes to the library everyday. She has three best friends who all love different things (dance, soccer and art). The friends call themselves the Jellybeans because that is their favorite candy and just like jellybeans are different, so are the girls. The girls all go to school together and one day they were assigned to read a book and write a report. Anna took the girls to the library and they all found books about things that they loved. When it came time for them to read their reports, Anna was very nervous and did not want to read hers to the class. Her three best friends went up to Anna and held her hands and told her she could do it. Anna found the courage to read her report to the class. To celebrate, the four friends went to their favorite candy store and shared jellybeans.

I think the quality of the plot was good. It was easy to understand which is good for young readers. However, it wasn't so easy that it wasn't interesting. I think the story included good lessons for young readers like how we are all different but can still be friends and how to encourage each other. Also, it shows children that there are books about things that they love and not just "boring" subjects.

I think the age range would be between primary and intermediate. I think the words and story are simple and interesting enough for a primary reader to understand but I think the subject matter (i.e. writing reports) would relate better to intermediate readers.

Artistic elements include the illustrations in the book. They are very colorful and appealing to the eyes. They look like they've been drawn with colored pencils and maybe painted with water colors. They are realistically drawn for the most part. For example, the animals actually look like animals but they're wearing clothes which isn't realistic. The pictures don't take up the whole page, so the writing is either above or below the illustration. The text is a font that looks like someone wrote it so I think that makes the story a little more personal.


I recommend this book because it has good lessons and morals for children to learn. The pictures are detailed, realistic, and full of color. This would be a good book to read to children who don't like reading because it shows that there are books that anyone would enjoy and reading can be fun.

[Madison M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Jellybeans and the Big Book Bonanza is about a group of friends who all like different things, bu the one thing they have in common is that their favorite candy is Jellybeans. And like the girls, jellybeans come in all different flavors. In this story, the girls have to go to the library to pick out books for a book report. Bitsy loves to read and is excited to take her friends to her favorite place, but is discouraged when her friends aren’t as excited as she is. She and the librarian help the girls find books that they’re interested in and that relate to things that they each like to do. During their presentations, Anna catches stage-fright and her friends help her get through it with confidence. One of the major themes in this story is that everyone is different, and that it’s important to find things that you have in common and to respect the things that they like, even though they might not be the same as your own. Another important theme is that having friendships and support groups are important for getting through tough situations. And lastly, but certainly not least, this book promotes the love for a good book and supports the idea that, just like the flavors of jellybeans, there is a book for everyone. The message of respecting people’s differences and finding friends in unlikely places was something that my third grade teacher, Mrs. Baker, taught me well. I remember her constantly repeating the golden rule, to treat others the way you want to be treated. I would stay in during recess to read with one of my peers, Austin. Helping someone that wasn’t on the same reading level as I was, was a humbling experience, even for a third grader. It also taught me to be kind and respectful to everyone, because everyone is different. I rated this book with five stars because I really believe in all of the messages that were portrayed.

[Bridget R. Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Jellybeans (Bitsy, Emily, Anna, & Nicole) return in another adventure. Anna with the help of the librarian shows her friends that even though they don't really like books, there is a book for them.

What I thought: I like the Jellybeans. I love that their second adventure deals with books and reading. I like that Anna's book turns out to be a book of fairy tales. Calling book reports a book bonanza is an interesting idea. The illustrations are classic Munsinger--lovely! My favorite illustrations are Anna reading in a chair, Anna reading in the bathtub, and the Jellybeans as princesses. I look forward to the Jellybeans' next Adventure: The Jellybeans and the Big Camp Kickoff.

Like Laura Numeroff, my favorite jellybean flavor is buttered popcorn. :)

[Shelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my favorite of the Jellybean picture book series by Laura Numeroff. Possibly because this one is focused around Anna, a kindred spirit, who likes nothing more than to read a good book. One day her teacher assigns the perfect assignment for Anna: to read a book about something you love and then write a report about it. Anna gets to take her less than enthusiastic friends to the library and show them that like their beloved jellybeans, books come in all varieties and you need only search until you find the right one for you. This assignment does however mean getting in front of the class to read your report, something shy Anna is worried about. Maybe her friends will be able to lend a hand or say some encouraging words to help her along.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pull out the defibrillator...I gave something a 5 stars. Okay breath in through the nose and out through the mouth. I gave this book 5 stars because it talks about what I talks about what I tell kids. READ BOOKS ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE INTERESTED. Anna loves to read but her friends...not so much. If you like ballet, read ballet books, if you like soccer, read books about soccer and so on and so forth. There is nothing worse than reading a book you hate (like I am not a fan of Science Fiction). Also I like that this book says "Just as Jellybeans are different flavors but go well together, the girls were all different but got along great-and so they called themselves the Jellybeans" I like the illustrations, I like the story...and Laura Numeroff...is excellent!

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

The entire cover--outside--inside--upside down is all sparkles and glitter, so how can a little girl help but be attracted to the book........and there is nothing wrong with that, its just...there isn't anything especially right with it either. There is a positive message about differences and reading but it is delivered in a contrived manner and with little character appeal. There are a couple of very cute pictures of Anna on the first two pages, but even the illustrations, after that, are unalluring. My girls like the color and the little animals.........and the SHINE, but I can take it or leave it.

[Karen Arendt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four friends who call themselves the Jellybeans have different interests. Anna is the bookworm, and when the friends have to do a book report on a topic they choose, Anna is excited to be able to share going to the library with her friends. At the library, the girls each find that their are books for everyone's interests. This would be perfect to use as an introduction to book reports or even to read at the beginning of the year as library checkout begins.

[Villain E · Rating 3 out of 5]

A reread. When I first discovered this series about four friends with different interests who find ways to share their interests with each other, I found the stories charming. Now I find them a little flat.

In this one, the bunny shares her love of books by finding books on subjects her friends like. Then she gets nervous when it comes time to do her book report presentation. Oh, and they eat jellybeans.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book for kids. The Jellybeans books all seem to each focus on one of the friend's hobbies. This one focuses on Anna who loves to read. Their class is given an assignment to do a book report and her task was to teach her friends that there are books for every interest! It's a good book for kids to see that no matter what interests you, there is a book out there for you.

It wasn't a spectacular books but these books are pretty enjoyable. I think we'll continue reading the series.

[Jess Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

The "Jellybeans" are four best friends who are led to the wonders of exciting books by one enthusiastic reader. Of course it involves stereotypes of libraries and librarians, but at least the librarian was portrayed in a positive light! The plot is slow and uninteresting, really, but I'm sure there are fans of the Jellybeans who will enjoy this book.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the saying that the reason the four girls are friends is because they're like jellybeans-- they're all different, but they go nicely together. And of course, it's dedicated to librarians and talks about loving books and reading. Reading in a grocery store? If I could ride in the cart, I would be reading too!

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun story that celebrates friendship and the individuality of each friend. Four girls have different hobbies and passions, but they all get along and help each other. It's a nice story and our girls really liked it. I loved the part about their visit to the library.

[Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this book was going to be about Easter from the title and some aspects in the book, but it never was. I liked how it talks about friends and how that friends can be and will be different from us.