Clarice Bean, That's Me [Hardcover]

Lauren Child (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up | Series: Clarice Bean

Lauren Child evokes the (mostly) joyful chaos of family life—through the eyes of an observant young narrator.

I know lots of people, most of them in my family.
Some of them live in our house,
and some of them just visit.
We are always raising a ruckus,
but that's the way we (mostly) like it.

When your annoying little brother shares your room, your older brother is in the tunnel of adolescence, your dad hides in his office eating rocky road ice cream and swaying to Frank Sinatra, and your mother listen to foreign language tapes in a candlelit bathtub, what can you do to get away from it all? Meet the feisty Clarice Bean and sympathize with her search for just a little peace and quiet amidst a family many of us will recognize only too well. In a brilliant picture book debut, Lauren Child's witty text and jazzy illustrations capture the wonderful wacky chaos of a large extended family from the hilarious vantage point of one of its youngest members.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

With one pesky younger brother who hangs upside down until he turns a funny color, an older brother in the "dark tunnel of adolescence," and a boy-crazy sister who won't notice her except to tell her to go away, Clarice Bean has her hands full. All she wants is a little peace and quiet. Her mother retreats to the bathtub with candles and language tapes, her father scoots off to his big fancy office, and Grandad spends all his time asleep with a cat on his head. Clarice, reminiscent of Kay Thompson's Eloise, plays her dry wickedness to the hilt in this hilarious look at family chaos.

Lauren Child's wacky, wonderful book is full of boisterous color and scattered text. Clarice Bean's family members lurk in doorways, flick noses, and throw up their hands in dismay, all with equal measures of melodrama. With big words for big thoughts, sideways lines for sideways ideas, and a curly, flowery font for Mom's pronouncements ("No flicking noses with rulers," she says, although celery is acceptable), Child gleefully tosses proper book-writing standards straight out the window. Young readers, especially those with vexing relatives, will shout with joy when they find this gem. (Click to see a sample spread. Copyright 1999 by Lauren Child. With permission of Candlewick Press and Orchard Books, UK.) (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly

There is a trace of Eloise's voice in the cadence of Clarice's unfettered, stream-of-consciousness narrative, but her home is definitely not the Plaza. Forced to share a room with her younger brother, Minal Cricket, Clarice boldlyAand occasionally outrageouslyAexposes the family dynamics: "Sometimes I say, I haven't got time for all your nonsense. And he says, TWIT. And I say, Twit and a half. And he says, Twit with carrots in your ears. And then I flick his nose with my ruler, And he says, MOOOM, in this really whiny brother way." Later, after Clarice dumps a bowl of spaghetti on her brother's head, her mother advises her to think before she acts, and this young queen of the quick comeback responds, "And she's right. If I'd thought about it I would have put tapioca down his shorts." Graphically, these collage-like pages are as busy and spontaneous as Child's (I Want a Pet) exuberant, self-assured heroine. Stylized, childlike drawings appear against backdrops of flowered wallpaper, linoleum tile and photographs, while the text's fonts change as quickly and randomly as the amusingly opinionated Clarice's thoughts. Bright and brassy, this youngster will win over readers in a split second and will leave them hoping for more of her trials and tribulations. Ages 6-10. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick; 1st uS edition (August 4, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763609617
• ISBN-13: 978-0763609610
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 0.4 x 11.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #984,225 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious and too true!, November 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Clarice Bean, That's Me (Hardcover)

Clarice Bean, That's Me is such a funny book. In it Lauren Child depicts Clarice and her wacky, oversize family. Everyone can recognize the teenager in "the dark tunnel of adolescence" or grandad whose eyesight is on the blink and who therefore is an easy target in card games . . . My kids really loved it and they're now making up their own books about our family (the results could be frightening!). This is a great "alternative" new baby gift-tells it like it really is! Lauren Child's art is wonderful, too, so expressive and quirky.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kids and Adults both love this book - great fun, June 30, 2005

By 

A. Woodley "Patroness, Janeites, the Austen list" (New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Clarice Bean, That's Me (Hardcover)

This is a great book, fun for children and adults, Clarice Bean introduces us to her family - her brother Minal Cricket (where do these names come from) her older sister Marcie and older brother Kurt - (who is going through the dark tunnel of adolescence.....)

Mother loves lying in the bath and learning languages, Father swivels in his chair saying important things into the phone and eating tutti frutti ice cream. It is all from the point of view of Clarice Bean, so it is off-centre, fun and witty.

Bright illustrations mean that my 18month old as well as my three year old enjoy it. It is a picture book with both collage and painting, bright, large illustrations which appeal to both adult and child as well. There is a story running through it - Clarice Bean is looking for peace and quiet and can't get it at all. Highly recommended along with Lauren Child's other books

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clarice Bean -- That's Me, June 26, 2005

By 

Lookingatwords (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Clarice Bean, That's Me (Hardcover)

A delightful new voice in children's books comes from Lauren Child, with her book, "Clarice Bean - That's Me" . The book's narrator, Clarice Bean, is a precocious little girl struggling through the circus of family life. Her mother says Clarice's older brother is "in the dark tunnel of adolescence." It's Clarice's observation, however, that "usually, he's in his room." When she fights with her brother and throws his blanket out the window and it lands on the neighbor's dog, Clarice is in trouble ("Right now," her father tells her, "you are not the flavor of the month, young lady."); she relates: "I am in such BIG TROUBLE that I get sent to my room for 3 whole hours. Alone. I LOVE IT (Finally, some peace and quiet.)." The writing is fresh and true -- the perfect voice for an intelligent young girl -- and the illustrations, also by Child, are a charming mix of ink line drawings, cut-paper collage and photographic background. Typography also plays a role in mimicking the inflections and emphasis of Clarice's pre-adolescent, observant narration.