Old Granny and the Bean Thief

DeFelice, Cynthia. Old Granny and the Bean Thief. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003.

Old Granny loves beans. She loves them so much that she always has one pot ready, and one pot soaking. Imagine her dismay when someone sneaks into her cabin and steals her beans! On her way to tell the sheriff, Old Granny meets some unusual friends—a water snake, a pecan, a cow patty, a cactus, and an alligator. All of them suggest that she put them in her bag on the way home. Although she initially thinks it is a bad idea, she picks them all up anyway. Together, they catch the bean thief and scare him away forever.

This book is funny and contains enough repetition to keep most elementary students engaged during its reading. Children will also like the talking cow patty. While this was not my favorite book, I began to develop an appreciation for it as I read it a few more times. I do think it is one that children will enjoy.

What others have to say…

“Both text and illustrations carry the visual humor, creating a situation that builds, and then unfolds, like the best of slapstick comedy.”

Carter, Betty. 2003. "Old Granny and the Bean Thief." Horn Book Magazine 79, no. 5: 594-594. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed May 8, 2009).