Bea and Mr. Jones

by Amy Schwartz

Bea Jones is bored with kindergarten. Really bored. Her dad is fed up with being stuck in an office. Really, really fed up. So Bea and Mr. Jones decide to change places. Neither kindergarten nor the office will ever be the same.      Originally published in 1982, Bea and Mr. Jones, Amy Schwartz’s unforgettable debut picture book, was a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year and a Reading Rainbow selection. Now back with a fresh design, this charming favorite will inspire a new generation of children to see everyday life in a whole new light.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, School, Humor, Family, Fiction, 2nd Grade

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Amy Schwartz is the author and illustrator of many picture books for children, including Begin at the Beginning; Things I Learned in Second Grade; Bea and Mr. Jones, a Reading Rainbow feature; What James Likes Best, recipient of the 2004 Charlotte Zolotow Award; and a glorious day. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband Leonard S. Marcus, and their son, Jacob.

Reviews

[Amity · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, I really liked the humor in this. So whimsical! I appreciate that there really isn't any moral, and that it's just here to be a funny little story of a great Dad-daughter duo. 4 lollipop games out of 5.

[Stacy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a book about a father and daughter who switch careers. Bea is in Kindergarten and has decided she is done with that. Mr. Jones is in advertising and has decided he is done with that. One day, they decide to switch places...and remain switched. Bea does so well at work that she gets a promotion and Mr. Jones enjoys Kindergarten so much that he becomes the teacher's pet. I thought it was cute, but just felt like the ending was not very satisfying.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this very funny Reading Rainbow book. After Bea and her father discuss how much they hate their school and job respectively, they decide to switch places. The notes to each workplace are clever and funny. This best of all job exchanges ever is endearing and speaks to the wisdom of finding something you love to do. Fun to read aloud to first through third graders.

[Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bea and her father trade places—and of course that’s been done before—but what gives this book its charm are the black and white pictures and the fact that both love the switch, so much so that he stays in school and she stays an executive. The teacher’s love of Mr. Jones is particularly sweet.

[Peggy Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is just funny. Bea and her dad switch places - Bea goes to the office and he goes to kindergarten. And the cool part is, they both love their new roles and keep them - no great moral about how they miss their old lives.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

although I wouldn't really want my dad;s job, I sometimes which we could switch places like they do in this story. It seems really fun here, at least!

[jacky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I totally remember this one from Reading Rainbow! It is a cute story about how a father and daughter change places and find the grass isn't always greener.

[Rebecca Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is hysterical. I would read this book to my class when I see they need a boost in spirit and a break from their hard work.

[Sarah.jane.shattuckgmail.com · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit dated perhaps, but quite dear. What child wouldn't enjoy exploring why it would be like to switch with a parent for the day?! I find kids are always engaged with this one.

[Renee Knoblauch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Amy Schwartz celebrates the 40th anniversary of her debut picture book.

Reading this book brings back memories reading this delightful book to my nieces and nephews. As an adult you want to go back to your carefree days as a child. As a child you just want to grow up really fast. Okay so maybe I don’t want to go back to childhood!

Bea is not happy with kindergarten and Mr. Jones not happy with his work. Why not switch places. They both find that they are very good in their switched positions. Bea gets a promotion and Mr. Jones is the teacher’s pet and have earned their status. Neither one of them go back to their old life.

I love the drawings and the black and white print. There are a lot of details to explore within the pages. A charming story with delightful illustrations throughout.


Disclosure: I received this complimentary product in exchange for my honest thoughts.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A father, tired of his executive advertising job, and his daughter, tired of kindergarten, switch places.

This book was so silly and good! I particularly liked the illustrations of Bea dressed in her father's giant clothes, lugging a suitcase half her size. But the book is full of a dry and absurd sense of humor that makes it a really good read-aloud that both adults and children can enjoy equally.

This book was featured on Reading Rainbow as the featured book in episode 4, which first aired on June 27th, 1983. This review is part of an ongoing project where I read and review every book that appeared on Reading Rainbow

[Elayne Crain · Rating 5 out of 5]

A girl and her dad are both bored with their "jobs"--kindergarten and advertising, respectively. So, they change places--and then what you might expect to happen *doesn't* happen! This book made me and my son BOTH laugh out loud--because it's true--which kid doesn't aspire to fast-forward to adulthood, and what adult doesn't aspire to rewind to childhood? (Esp. if you are maybe a children's book writer. Let's just say, "I feel seen.") I won't spoil the ending, but it's both completely charming and more believable than most.

[Deborah Schultz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was actually pretty cute and kept the attention of my library class students. They enjoyed it much more than when I read the Shelf Elf for a book about jobs. The idea was pretty funny, but my students were certain this could never happen! We also had a good laugh at the author being a very good artist who like to draw ugly people for some reason. We also talked about the artwork all being done with a pencil. Surprisingly, the kids liked the father's pants and said they'd wear them!!

[Danni Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this imaginative story about a child and parent switching places. I really appreciated the author's commitment to telling the story exactly this way without trying to achieve any sort of didactic purpose. It's just a solid fun tale, spun in a way that would feel delightful for children and adults alike.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A whimsical little story about a little girl and her father who decide they want to trade places for the day. So the girl goes to work and the father goes to school. Unlike similar stories, this one ends with the two staying in their new roles.

[Becky Galambos · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remembered this one from Reading Rainbow - but I couldn't remember if I'd actually read the book. This hits different as an adult in a high pressure job - if Kindergarten was anything like it was when I was a kid (I know it isn't) I would happily trade places for a few days too.

[Rani · Rating 4 out of 5]

#Kindergarten is #boring for Bea. Dad is bored at #work. They #Switch places. How does it go? #Humor. #YoungReaders #PictureBook #BookReview #ChildrensBooks #amreading

[Anna Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Munchy, crunchy, my dear snackers
You will love our crumbly crackers!

I think about this book whenever I make crackers, and it makes me happy.

[Kitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remembered this silly book from my childhood. No real lessons, just a silly story.

[Molly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well... it had an unexpected ending! Not bad.

[Julie Rowan-Zoch · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://julierowanzoch.wordpress.com/...

[Rylie Gray]

I thike this

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kids thought that this was funny and a good idea 🤣

[Meghan Bohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't think I'd read this one before, but it must have been buried memories of Reading Rainbow, because I *absolutely* remember the lollipop game page.

[Jj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Penguin Young Readers for the review copy.

[Aimee Massey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like many of the reviewers here, I first discovered "Bea and Mr. Jones" through Reading Rainbow. What an adorable, if obviously totally unrealistic, story! What child hasn't wished they could be an adult for at least a day? For that matter, what adult hasn't secretly wished to be a child again with nothing more serious to worry about than guessing the correct lollipop color?
Especially cute because at the end of the story, Bea doesn't have an epiphany about how she'd much rather be back in kindergarten after all, and Mr. Jones doesn't come to his senses and realize that a grown man sitting on the kindergarten rug and guessing colored lollipops is a wee bit odd. Kudos to the author for not trying to make this into a series.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had it's funny moments and an unexpected ending, but I'm not sure I cared for the overall message. The illustrations were an interesting play with shades and patterns but people themselves came off fairly repulsive. My children thought the story odd.

[Felicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun book to read about switching places with parents!!

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

for teaching point of view