Reviews for Giant Jellybean Jar

The average rating for Giant Jellybean Jar based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2017-10-16 00:00:00 Ciro Matarazzo III Title: The Giant Jelly Bean Jar Author: Marcie Aboff Illustrator: Paige Billin-Frye Genre: Easy reader Theme(s): Jelly beans, public speaking, riddles Opening line/sentence: "Ben loved jelly beans." Brief Book Summary: Every week Jo-Jo's Jelly Bean Shop has a new riddle for the kids to solve. The winner receives a big jar of jelly beans. Ben is a shy boy and speaking up in front of everyone is hard for him, but he always knows the answers to the riddles. This simple story follows Ben though his public speaking journey and attempts to win the big jar of jelly bans. Professional Recommendation/Review #1: The Horn Book Guide Online () K-3 Illustrated by Paige Billin-Frye. Ben is shy about answering riddles at the local candy store, but with his sister's help one Saturday he is brave enough to raise his hand, answer a riddle, and win a jar of jelly beans. The book has an appealing subject and an accessible writing style, and the illustrations are cheery. Professional Recommendation/Review #2: Susan Hepler, Ph.D. (Children's Literature) () Ben wants to win the weekly contest at Jo-Jo's jellybean shop and take home the jar of free jellybeans. But he is too shy, does not speak up, and hardly raises his hand, even though the answers to the riddles are easy: banana, pizza, and so forth. Finally, Ben gets up his courage, and when Jo-Jo says the riddle, he raises his hand high, even jumping up, but when he is called on he has forgotten the answer. It is his sister who jogs his memory by stomping on his foot to which he says "Oh, nuts" before remembering the answer is peanut butter. The gentle humor, the multicultural neighborhood that gathers weekly at the jellybean giveaway, the easy-to-answer riddle, and the sweet sibling relationship make this one new readers will enjoy. Response to Two Professional Reviews: Both reviews bring up different positive points that the book has to offer: gentle humor, a multicultural neighborhood, cheery illustrations, etc. I agree that this book offers more positive literary experiences than negative experiences for a young reader. Evaluation of Literary Elements: Although short, this book was definitely sweet. The simple plot, followed by the bright, colorful illustrations, makes this story a great easy reader book. The writing style was simple enough for young readers to follow along with, and the appearance of humor throughout the story is an added bonus. Consideration of Instructional Application: I would love to incorporate this story into a math lesson where we use jellybeans to count/add. Jellybeans could also be given to each student and each colored jellybean would stand for a question about the story. The student would answer the question that corresponds to their jellybean. This could also be used in other ways too! For example, each color could stand for a different writing prompt, or a different class challenge.

Review # 2 was written on 2014-12-01 00:00:00 Margaret Hamer Growing up, children are often shy when they are around other people. Even though they might usually be loud and adventurous, other kids can make them self-conscience or even embarrassed. This specific struggle comes into place during The Giant Jelly Bean Jar, written by Marcie Aboff. The beginning of the story introduces two characters, Ben and Jill, who are siblings. Every week they love to go down to Jo-Jo's Jelly Bean Shop and look at all the different flavors that are offered. Each time they go, there is a contest where the kids try to figure out one of Jo-Jo's riddles. Whoever raises their hand and shouts the correct answer is given a whole jar of jelly beans. Every time Ben goes he knows the answer to the weekly riddle. Unfortunately he is extremely shy and is never able to speak loud enough when it comes time to answer the question. It is not until his sister, Jill, helps encourage him is he able to answer the riddle proudly and receive a jar. Throughout The Giant Jelly Bean Jar, there many literary devices that help contribute to strong character development and the overall theme. I loved the fact that instead of the main character being this bold, outrageous, and confident character Marcie Aboff took the idea of having the main character struggle to find his way. Ben is faced with the conflict of character vs. character every week as he tries to win the jar or jelly beans. All of his friends and classmates that would also go to Jo-Jo's shop make fun of him and tell him he's too shy to ever win anything. As readers, we get to see Ben rise above the teasing he receives which develops his character. The style and tone of the book was still light-hearted but brought a blanched conflict to the overall portrayal of the book. The struggles were resolved which created an impactful ending. The color scheme and page layout also brought a great element to the story as well. The jelly bean shop was filled with bright yellows, reds, and purples that brought a cheery and childish atmosphere to the storyline. Overall, The Giant Jelly Bean Jar was an excellent read. I loved being along for the ride as Ben struggled to rise about others making fun of him. He kept trying to become braver and eventually succeeded. This children's book was an easy read that taught a lesson while being enjoyable.