Book Review: Bean Soup
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What Parents Should Know
We found no objectionable content in this book.
Curt, forced two-word sentences won't encourage children to read along, but the relationship between a dog and a cat is appealing and becomes apparent through the obvious but charming illustrations.
Common Sense Media Review
It is always pleasing to see nature's enemies wind up as
friends, and this is the story line behind BEAN SOUP. Bean the
cat and Soup the dog have a lively game of chase, and Soup
aggressively pursues Bean to the point that young readers may
worry about the cat's safety. However, when Soup is sent out of
the house, Bean slips away to join him, and it becomes obvious
they are true friends.
In her series of books about Bean, Hines-Stephens uses mostly two-word sentences to describe the characters' activities, but in this instance, the sentences seem unfinished, and the text sounds forced and choppy.
However, the illustrator allows readers to make sense of the story through her depictions of the dog and cat at play and rest. This book introduces prepositions in a way children can understand them, but adults may need to call attention to illustration details for the story to make sense.
Other board books featuring both a dog and a cat include Marjorie Flack's Angus and the Cat. Soup Too? is another title in the Bean series.
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
