Everyday Bean [Tiny Bean’s Big Adventures]
by Stephanie Graegin; illus. by the author
Primary    Tundra    56 pp.
7/25    9781774886205    $18.99
e-book ed.  9781774886212    $10.99

Meet hedgehogs Bean and Grandma in this pitch-perfect collection of eleven brief stories for early readers, ranging from two to eight pages long. An omniscient narrator introduces this duo’s sweet and loving intergenerational relationship. Caregiver Grandma is always there to look after Bean, from fixing too-small blankets and sweaters to tucking her in every night “like a Bean burrito.” When “Bean is in a mood, a dramatic moping mood, where nothing seems quite right and she wants to go away,” Grandma gives her the space she needs: “Don’t forget your hat. Off you go now. Toodle-oo!” Activities with Grandma include choosing a new houseplant (a cactus, of course) and helping with chores such as picking giant strawberries…and then eating them. Readers also see Bean at play: practicing her “BOOs” disguised as a ghost, swinging, and using her imagination. Recurring characters (Bean’s stuffed piglet Clem, her cat friend Gus, the badger mail carrier, and rabbit florist Mr. Green) lend familiarity for new readers, while the straightforward text is the right mix of simple and slightly complex words. Graegin’s first solo venture beyond picture books features cozy digital illustrations in an earthy palette that suits the natural setting of the critters’ world. Lively and mixed page design accentuates Bean’s playfulness. Bean and Grandma’s heartwarming everyday adventures, complete with subtle and genuine humor, are ripe for repeat reads and further series entries.

From the July/August 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.