Bean Thirteen

by Matthew McElligott

Ralph warns Flora not to pick that thirteenth bean. Everyone knows it’s unlucky! Now that they’re stuck with it, how can they make it disappear? If they each eat half the beans, there’s still one left over. And if they invite a friend over, they each eat four beans, but there’s still one left over! And four friends could each eat three beans, but there’s still one left over! HOW WILL THEY ESCAPE THE CURSE OF BEAN THIRTEEN?! A funny story about beans, that may secretly be about . . . math! Sometimes you can divide, but you just can’t conquer (the bean thirteen, that is).

Genres: Picture Books, Mathematics, Childrens, Fiction, Humor, Counting, Education

32 pages, Hardcover

First published May 10, 2007

About the author

Matthew McElligott is the author and illustrator of many books for children. When Matt is not writing, he teaches as a Professor of Graphic and Media Design at Russell Sage College in Albany. He lives on a small farm in upstate New York with his wife and their animals.

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ralph and Flora have accidentally picked 13 beans for dinner. Since they both suffer from triskaidekaphobia, they're too terrified to eat the unlucky bean.

This is pretty cute, AND it's a fun way to sneak math into a bedtime story.

[Katja Labonté · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.7 stars (4/10 hearts). Pretty cute little story about how 13 is not divisible by other numbers.

Content: Mention that 13 is unlucky, but all because it isn’t divisible.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This funny story could become a great lesson about prime numbers. It could be a companion piece for The Cookie Fiasco, another book with a math problem needing to be solved. the story has not been over-complicated, and the illustrations are attractive.

[Alli Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about two bugs, Flora and Ralph, who are collecting beans for dinner. Flora goes to grab a thirteenth bean but Ralph tells her that bean thirteen would be unlucky. The bugs go home and separate their beans into two piles, but they have one left over. They decide to call another friend to come over and divide the beans into three piles, but there is still one left over. They continue calling friends to come over for dinner but cannot figure out how to divide the beans. They put the beans in the bowl and everyone helps themselves. Everyone has a different amount of beans but it works out to where everyone gets the amount they need.
This book would be good to work with students in math when talking about prime numbers. Prime numbers can be difficult for students to work with so this book can show that it is okay to struggle with them. It would be a good way to introduce prime numbers to students.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has an excellent plot that integrates fast thinking math. When discussing prime numbers, grouping, or division, reading this to a class might be beneficial. Flora and Ralph, two ants, have thirteen beans... how UNLUCKY? Flora and Ralph attempt to split the 13 beans fairly; when they fail, they call additional friends over to distribute them equally. When splitting, the ants divide into groups of 2, 3, 4, and 5. You may make this a hands-on lesson by giving kids beans and asking them to sketch all the many ways the beans can be arranged. They also touch base on the frustration students may encounter when learning methods in mathematics and how to overcome them. The illustrations are colorful which grabs the attention of the readers. I am adding this short educational book to my classroom library.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh lordy, this book was HILARIOUS. I love books that point out the interesting quirks of math, and this one is fabulous. How can two bugs evenly divide 13 beans among their friends? They can't! And oh the drama that ensues!! I'm laughing now, just thinking about this book. For several years, our family had a "no 13" rules (just for laughs.) And what a wonderful into to division and prime numbers!

My (then very small) son loved this book, and another one by the same author, "The Lion's Share" and once actually told me that math was his favorite thing to learn about (insert heart emoji). McElligott's artwork is adorable. Each bug has incredible facial expressions and the colors are bright and vivid. I love this book and will be giving this author's work as gifts for the rest of my life. Wonderful story, wonderful approach to math and prime numbers.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thirteen beans can't be evenly divided between two friends, so they invite more over. But thirteen isn't evenly divisible by three, four, five, or six either. But sometimes even division isn't what we need!

Also, some fear of 13 and the idea of a thirteenth bean.

This is a math-y story done really well.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two bugs pick 13 beans. Oh, no, Unlucky 13!

If they split the beans between the 2 of them, there's one leftover.
There's still a leftover when they invite friends to give them a total of 3, 4, 5, and 6 people at the table.

Like the solution (everyone gets the number they want, which isn't equal shares).

[Chris Hays · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a math nerd who likes numbers, this book is stellar. I love the setup and premise as an adult who knows what will or will not work. I think this would be great to combine with 100 ants. The artwork is solid and this is a great book to carry in your math collection.

[Megan Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was really cute. I thought the illustrations were really well done. I think it did a great job depicting how frustrated some students feel when they do math. I think this book would be fantastic for introducing an activity about prime numbers for math class.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cute book about bugs trying to evenly distribute the 13 beans that they had picked for dinner. I used this book in my 4th grade math class to talk about division as sharing and how to interpret remainders.

[Linda Atkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

snort!

[JANEY SALAZAR · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH I LOVED IT!

[Beret Brenckman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even and odd
Unlucky 13
Math
Dividing
Multiples

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book would be good for adding / subtracting. Younger students would like the book and its illustrations.

[Elizabeth Cummings]

Audio

[emyrose8 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute counting/multiplication/division book with lots of dialogue.

[Heather Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great math literature for children I would put the reading level at about 3rd grade.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an entertaining book about division and grouping items. The story is fun to read aloud and the illustrations are very colorful and cartoonish. It's a good way to introduce a math concept without being overly heavy handed about it.

Early on in the tale, our oldest piped up with, "Well, of course they're never going to be able to spilt up the thirteen beans evenly since thirteen is a prime number." I was so proud. Our oldest read this book to her sister while I was away on a trip, but they liked it so much they wanted me to read it to them also. We really enjoyed reading this book together.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bean Thirteen by Matthew McElligott is sooooo cute. Ralph and Flora are some sort of insect. They are picking beans for dinner. Flora goes to pick the 13th bean and (supposedly superstitious) Ralph shouts, Don't do it!.
He says that Bean thirteen is unlucky, everyone knows that. Flora keeps coming up with ways to split the beans up so that there is no bean thirteen but then Ralph keeps pointing out that odd leftover bean that won't let them split the beans evenly. McElligott ends this story with a solution just as whimiscal as the problem at the beginning of the book. Well done!

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ralph and Flora are gathering beans for dinner. Ralph is adamant that Flora doesn't pick up a 13th bean. "It's unlucky." And when they can't divide the beans evenly, it does become a problem. No matter how many bugs they invite to divide up the beans, that 13th bean is always causing problems! However, when all the other bugs arrive, they each take what they need and someone (we don't know who) eats that thirteenth bean.

Fun read aloud to combine with a math lesson on prime numbers or division.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful story to reinforce the concept of division. My second graders enjoy the bickering back and forth between siblings Ralph and Flora as they try to figure out a way to share the thirteen beans equally, first among themselves and then with some friends they invite for dinner. Equally fun is the extension exercise where we take our own beans and practice dividing them among different numbers of friends.

[Beth Given · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was terrific! Another great read-aloud one; I would totally get into the dialogue between these two bugs, Ralph and Flora, who are looking to fairly distribute their dinner. In the meantime, the book teaches math concepts — division and remainders — via a real-world application (okay — maybe not real-world — how real can it be if these bugs are talking to each other and calling one another on the phone?). Totally fun and totally funny.

[Amy Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I was young, I loved to color in books that had simple pictures with big, bold outlines. The artwork in this book reminds me of those coloring books. It's fairly simple. The story is cute, it helps kids learn rudimentary division, and it vaguely introduces the concept of prime numbers. Overall, I think this would be a cute story to ready to second grade or under.

[Rosa Cline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a neat book about being afraid of the number 13. Everyone knows it's unlucky except one of the bugs. The other bug tells her not to pick 13 beans but she does. This book takes you on crazy and fun way of trying to get rid of that 13th bean. My 4 year old granddaughter and my special needs teen age son enjoyed and giggled at this book.

[babyhippoface · Rating 4 out of 5]

No matter how many different ways they group them, two grasshoppers cannot get their thirteen beans to come out evenly.

Clever little book that could be used for teaching the math concepts of remainders and prime numbers.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two grasshoppers pick 13 beans. Thirteen?! Oh, no! Thirteen is an unlucky number! Quick! Call all the friends! They need to find a way to get rid of 13 beans without anyone knowingly eating the "unlucky thirteen."

[Carrie Gelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, love this book. Of course instantly one thinks of using it for teaching divisibility rules. But even better - it teaches that fair is when we all get what we truly need. Lovely, quirky and makes it all make sense even though we have questions all along the way!

[Lea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some basic division underlies the problem faced by two insects trying to decide how best to serve 13 beans to guests coming for a dinner party. Younger children who don't yet appreciate the math can still enjoy the story.

[Kimberly Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bean Thirteen teaches division with the use of a superstitious unlucky number 13 bean. Eventually the ants come up with ways to divide the beans only to determine that you can't divide 13 by any other number. I liked this book because it also incorporated problem solving.