They’re Good for Your Heart: FRANK AND BEAN (Cybils Nominee)

Thank you to Candlewick Press for sending me the review copy of easy reader FRANK AND BEAN, to evaluate for its Cybils nomination!

Uptight, standoffish Frank lives a quiet but lonely life in the forest with his top-secret poetry notebook and his rigid rules – until boisterous one-man-band Bean (whose favorite sound is TOOTing on his trumpet) rolls up in his music van to break up the silence.

While Frank hates all the noise at first, Bean wins him over with a jelly donut hole.

Bean is on a quest for words to his music.

Frank is able to open up to his new friend and share his top-secret poetry.

Dreams of a rock band ensue.

Loved: While this is a classic “opposites clash but learn to complement each other” story, the not-so-subtle bean/fart references will delight kids.