Bibsy Cross and the Bad Apple

Bibsy Cross #1

by Liz Garton Scanlon, Dung Ho (illustrator)

Meet Bibsy Cross, the precocious eight-year-old heroine of this charming chapter book series, as she navigates a relationship with a teacher who thinks that Bibsy is just too much.Most things are easy-peasy, regular-pegular for Bibsy Cross. She loves her parents, her cat, her best friend, Natia. And she loves going to school. She might just love that most of all!This year, Bibsy has Mrs. Stumper for a teacher... and Mrs. Stumper doesn't seem too keen on Bibsy. She thinks Bibsy talks too much--especially about her science fair project. But one day, when Bibsy talks a little too much, and goes a stone too far, Mrs. Stumper punishes her by punching a hole in her paper apple that hangs in the classroom. And Bibsy is devastated. How can she make the best science fair project when she feels so rotten?

Genres: Chapter Books, Realistic Fiction, School, Friendship, Childrens, Middle Grade, Humor

128 pages, Paperback

First published June 11, 2024

About the author

Liz Garton Scanlon is the author of numerous beloved books for young people, including the highly-acclaimed, Caldecott-honored picture book All the World, illustrated by Marla Frazee, two novels for middle grade readers, and an upcoming chapter book series. Her many other picture books include the ones she's co-authored with Audrey Vernick, like Bob, Not Bob and World's Best Class Plant. Ms. Scanlon is also a poet, a teacher and a frequent & popular presenter at schools, libraries and conferences. She serves on the faculty of the Vermont College of Fine Arts and lives in Austin, Texas.

Reviews

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one falls somewhere between early chapter book and middle grade. It’s about a third grader, but reads a bit younger. Better for second grade or even a precocious first? Could appeal to a young third grader.

Super sweet, very gentle, primarily set in school. The teacher is “mean” for no reason and with no resolution apart from a kind note. Bibsy is like Clementine lite or perhaps Judy Moody without the bad moods. It’s all a little one dimensional, but still enjoyable.

I’ll read it aloud to my first grader towards the end of his school year and read it aloud to my third grade class at the very beginning of the school year.

[Chloe (Always Booked) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is told in verse and I love that! It's about Bibsy and her teacher's behavior chart. She has an apple tree where all the kids have an apple that starts at the top of the tree in the morning and then as they misbehave it gets lowered on the tree. Poor Bibsy loves to talk and ask questions and hers always gets put down on the bottom. It's her trying to reconcile her sweet heart with her teacher's perspective. Honestly, this kind of hurt my heart. There were also things that were very underexplained. Overall, this was just okay.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute start to an early chapter book series. I'm not sure I've read any other early chapter books that are written in verse, but I loved that little detail here. The grayscale illustrations with pops of red and cute and match the tone of the book nicely. But Bibsy is the best part. A precocious and sometimes accidentally disruptive third grader, Bible's excitement for learning is infectious. Excited for more of these.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This promising new chapter book series written in accessible verse captures the essence of one of the struggles that goes on in an elementary classroom. Talkative Bibsy Cross loves school and sharing her thoughts or questions during lessons, but her third-grade teacher, Mrs. Stumper sees this behavior as rather annoying. (I'm sure that anyone who's been a teacher will relate to her frustration while those of us who were rather loquacious will relate to Bibsy.) But Mrs. Stumper takes things a step further than just frowning when she sees Bibsy's hand raised or students misbehaving. She has a practice that might be well intended but also can be hurtful. Her classroom display board consists of shiny red apples with the students' names. Whenever someone misbehaves, she takes the apple off the tree and puts it in the dirt; even worse, when a student really crosses the line, that student's apple is marred with a hole punched into its surface. Bibsy runs awry of this last treatment when rain spoils a science fair project she and her best friend Natia have been working on. The characters in this book are relatable, well depicted, and the spot artwork adds just enough color and flavor to keep readers engaged. Oh, in so many ways I can relate to Bibsy and her fondness for the social nature of learning. I always really liked her parents and their dinner ritual of sharing the sweet and sour moments of each day. It will be fun to follow Bitsy on her future adventures.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

BIBSY CROSS AND THE BAD APPLE by Liz Garton Scanlon introduces readers to exuberant third grader Bibsy. She tends to be too chatty in class, no matter how hard she tries to rein herself in. This causes Mrs. Stumper, her teacher, to move her apple that’s displayed on the class tree on the bulletin board from the tree to the ground beneath it. When Bibsy’s science fair project goes awry, things get even worse when Mrs. Stumper goes even farther and punches a hole in Bibsy’s apple. Bibsy is crushed about the hole and about having to bring it home for her parents to sign. In the end, Bibsy finds the courage to tell Mrs. Stumper how she feels about having a hole punched in her apple.

I appreciated how Bibsy stood up for herself with her teacher, showing readers the importance of self-advocacy. Young readers will relate to many of the events in this book, whether they’ve been in a class with a student like Bibsy, had a teacher that they feel doesn’t like them, or even are chatty themselves like Bibsy is. With the short, verse-style structure of the chapters, its familiar school themes and supportive illustrations, the book will be accessible to and engaging for early elementary readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing an eARC of the book with me.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an electronic ARC from Random House Children's through NetGalley.
Simple to follow text for mid-elementary level readers. Bibsy has so much to share and wants to learn more and more. However, she struggles to keep from oversharing during class. This leads to conflicts with her teacher and to her apple being moved to the ground below the apple tree board most days. Readers will relate to her feelings about this and her wanting her teacher to like her. When the Science Fair project begins, Bibsy is able to work with her best friend in the other third grade room. We see her feel even worse when she sees how that teacher rewards students with gold stars. At the end, their project is well received and Bibsy feels supported by her teacher and others.
The author makes a solid statement for supporting students rather than negative feedback. I appreciate this being told by a narrator who shares all that Bibsy is feeling and offers the possibility for changes at the end. Looking forward to reading more in this series.

[Read Ribbet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bibsy Cross is the second book I have enjoyed in this new chapter book series for younger readers. Main character third grader Bibsy finds herself at odds with her teacher Mrs. Stumper who uses an apple tree management chart bulletin board to control her classroom. As Bibsy tries to avoid seeing her apple drop off the tree or worse have a paper punched wormhole put in it, she comes up with a plan to use the upcoming science project to win Mrs. Stumper over. Picking an apple themed science project with the help of her best friend Natia, Bisby finally gets on Mrs. Stumper's good side. Scanlon uses poetic verse to tell the story in short chapters with ample picture support from Dung Ho's illustration. It is the perfect chapter book series for transitional readers. Now I'll look forward to the new volumes to come in this series!

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This new series featuring the main character Bibsy Cross is introduced. She's an eight year old girl with a lot to say and that generally annoys her teacher who continually pulls her apple from the tree of the classroom and moves it underneath which makes Bibsy feel bad. She's trying to get back into her teacher's good graces and thinks that a science fair project with her best friend (who is in the other classroom across the hall) will help and they use Newton's theories and magnetism to make a point.

The basics of school life, family life, and friendships is on full display with this new series featuring a girl who can't seem to be quiet in the classroom-- the spotlight on the chatterboxes. I'd be interested to see where the series goes.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concept of this story was cute - Bibsy is a young student who talks a lot. Her teacher does not like this one bit. Bibsy struggles and the teacher uses "apples" as a behavior chart. If your apple falls, you're not doing so well. If your apple gets a punch, you definitely are not following the rules. Poor Bibsy's apple never stays in the tree and she has a hard time with telling her parents about it. I'm not sure of the target age range for this book. Maybe 2nd/3rd grade? It does read a bit younger than that, but I think that's probably about right. I just didn't love how Bibsy was treated by her teacher.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bibs is a very talkative 3rd grader, used to getting approval for contributing to class. Unfortunately her teacher thinks she talks way too much and often puts Bibsy’s paper apple on the ground instead of the tree. But it is even worse when she gets a “worm” in her apple and has to have it signed by a parent. She really blossoms in her best friend’s classroom and they do a creative science project together. Will their project work? Will the teacher care? Read and find out. Recommended but not amazing. Hints are nice but I’d have preferred to see it written out at the end that the “apples” were controlled by paper clips and magnets.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Bibsy is a fun character who is in the third grade. The text in this is very short, and would make a really good first novel for a first grade student; it reminded me a bit of B is for Betsy. There is a lot of repetitive language that will help an emerging reader along, like Bibsy's "a stone too far" and "regular pegular". Her feeling that her teacher doesn't like her will resonate with many young readers. The illustrations are great. This was just a little too young for middle school students, even though I have many who need this level of text complexity.

[Stephanie Affinito · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, my. This is the first chapter-book-in-verse that I’ve found and I am now on the hunt to find more. Bibsy Cross is a regular-pegular third grader with A LOT to say…and a teacher who doesn’t really want to hear any of it. Bibsy tries so hard to be good, but her curiosity and love of learning bubbles out of her until her teacher has had enough, making a move that Bibsy finds heartbreaking.
This book is for all children who have a lot to say, all of the adults in their lives and especially, the educators that nurture them. I cannot wait to read the next in the series.

[Willa Scanlon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bibsy is an exceptional and engaging story for young readers. The writing is sharp while being accessible and the characters are full of whimsy. As somebody who was once a kid with a lot of hyperactive energy and some learning differences, seeing this sort of character portrayed so positively is really encouraging. The message that even kids who go “a stone too far” are smart and worthy learners is an important one to be sending to educators and students alike. I look forward to watching Bibsy grow throughout the series!

[Mary Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun new series! I love how Liz tackles the harm done by public behavior management systems in classrooms AND how she gives Bibsy the agency to tell her teacher how her fallen and hole-punched apple felt.

A must for classrooms 2-5, this series supports beginning readers with illustrations and lots of white space around the text and it gives experienced readers a model text for writing with clarity and fun word crafting (like "regular-pegular").

[Ms. Lang · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a simple start to a light-hearted series about a child who is creative and full of ideas. She is disheartened by being misunderstood from her teacher, until she is able to find her voice. I like the quick and short chapters and pops of colour throughout the book. The story didn't blow me away but is a great option if you are looking for a book that students can relate to with super short chapters.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second Otter award nominee book for the year... this one just kind of made me upset? Why is Mrs. Stumper so angry and apathetic about children being enthusiastic to learn? She gets set off by the most minuscule things. I know it's "just a kid's book", but she shouldn't be an elementary school teacher. I liked everything else about this book, but I'm really hung up on that and how unresolved it feels.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really cute realistic fiction series for early readers. The illustrations are adorable and complement the story perfectly. Bibsy is very reminiscent of Ramona Quimby. Readers who enjoy series like Jo Jo Makoons, Judy Moody, Ivy and Bean or Nikki and Deja or will love Bibsy right away and this would be a good next step for kids who have read their way through the Junie B. series.

[Corian Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked that it was written in verse and the illustrations were amazing but it made me so sad. The teacher was so mean and it felt so wrong. What teacher would have a public shaming sort of behavior board and “not intend” to make the students feel bad? I just couldn’t get over how heartbroken I was for Bibsy and it made the book worse for me.

[Jonathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book feels like it was written in 1992. Which had it been it would have been a really solid book for 1992, but I actually think it's a tad unrelatable because the way the classroom is structured doesn't feel very authentic to what a typical classroom looks like in 2025. I can't imagine a kid reading this one and being overly excited to continue on with the series.

[Sara Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect. Just perfect early chapter book. Should be required reading for any teacher still using those stupid behavior modification charts with traffic lights, stars, or apples. Oh how I hate those things. And I love Bibsy - realistically drawn with a sharp, individual voice. And a nice dose of STEM without it taking over the narrative. Loved it.

[Laura Salas · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's Ramona or Junie B for today's kids. Bibsy is sweet and very talkative, and (as a former teacher) I can see both sides of the problem here. But I'm rooting for Bibsy the whole time. Looking forward to more of this series!

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars
Bibsy is having a difficult time in school as her teacher feels she tends to go on so. While doing a science project she has the opportunity to share her feelings with her teacher about the teacher's classroom management style.

[Tracie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eight-year-old Bibsy Cross tries not to aggravate her teacher, who thinks she talks too much, but a rain-ruined science project tests both of their nerves.

What a sweet and perfect book this is. Written in music-imbued free-verse, this is a fantastic chapter book packed with kid-appeal.

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Bibsy’s enthusiasm and POV, as well as the fact that this is a book in verse aimed at younger readers. Bibsy’s teacher, however, really bothered me. Her frustration with Bibsy and her old-fashioned behavior management plan hurt my teacher heart.

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh my goodness. I feel like Mrs. Stumper was the bad apple in this book. I liked Bibsy a lot, and the behavior management apple tree chart seemed like a very big sour. It was a little hard to read this because my heart was going out to Bibsy.

[StylesPlenty · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was such a good read. My daughter really enjoyed it.
She remembers many of the things Bibsy did in Pre-K.

Thank you to Random House Children's and Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

early chapter look mixed with more 3/4th reading level. Harder words and sentence structure.

[DaNae · Rating 1 out of 5]

Incredibly annoying.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A regular pegular winner of a chap book!

[Emily Kleykamp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is delightful and a must read!