A Regular Flood of Mishap

by Tom Birdseye, Megan Lloyd (Illustrator)

Things go from bad to worse for Ima Bean on a day that starts with her breaking Grandpaw's fishing pole by catching a huge catfish, continues with numerous other mishaps, and finally ends with her family forgiving her.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Family, Humor

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1994

About the author

I grew up in North Carolina and Kentucky, an ardent fan of anything that smacked of sports, crawdads, mud balls, forts built in the woods, secret codes, bicycles without fenders, butter pecan ice cream, and snow. I was, however, decidedly uninterested in writing-or any academic aspect of school, for that matter-never imagining that at the age of thirty-five I would become a published author. And yet after two unrelated college degrees, a year living in Japan, and ten years of teaching experience, that is what happened. Life, it seems, is full of who'd-a-thought-its.

I live in Corvallis, Oregon, with my wife, Debbie. Our two daughters, Kelsey and Amy, are both off on their own, living and working in Portland. When not writing, working at the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA program in creative writing, or in classrooms talking with children and teachers about the writing process, I enjoy rock climbing, alpine ascents, scaling big trees, ski mountaineering, snowshoeing, backpacking, mountain biking, running, playing the string bass, and reading.

Even after many books published and awards won, at times it still amazes me that writing is my profession. It was such a difficult process for me when I was a kid; I can really identify with the reluctant writer in school today. Everything seemed to get in the way of my completing stories: from being left-handed, to my poor spelling skills, from punctuation woes, to especially a lack of ideas. Fortunately, the right people came along at the right time and helped me see past the hurdles, emphasizing instead the joy of the work and the satisfaction to be had in trying to uncover the important truths that can come out of fiction. Now I carry a small notebook at all times and am always on the lookout for material I can use in a story: ordinary people that would make good characters, the funny, telling, or poignant glimpses of life that are triggered by what I see and hear, and the wonderfully wise things people will say at the most unexpected times.

True, I still labor through my stories, wrestling with the spelling beast and the punctuation monster, writing and rewriting, then rewriting some more, until I glean my best, but the process has become one of pleasure instead of pain. I love doing it, and I love sharing it with others. The boy who couldn't imagine himself a writer, now can't imagine himself anything else.

Reviews

[Edward Sojuwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

From author Tom Birdseye comes a uniquely funny tale with a female Barney Fife, the guy from the Andy Griffith show who bungles up everything. Her name is Ima Bean, and as if the name alone weren't enough grief, she's about to have, or cause, a bad day. Checking out the nearest fishpond she happens to check the lone fishing pole still in the water, the one belonging to her grampa. Unfortunately the line snags when Ima pulls it, snaps in half....and what happens after that when she happens to be heading home hellbent for leather in a runaway veggie cart can only be described as The Keystone Kops of Hazzard. Or something equated to slapstick and chaos. The end result is a funny tender kids book that reads like a feminist Mark Twain novel which resonates with both genders. Ima is one human Bean! You'll like her.
Three stars
For a better Bean who's not that "veggie", come to Birdseye!

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like broad humor and even a bit of slapstick, allow me to introduce you to "Ima Bean" and her story, so rich in mishaps.

This language is typical:

So spittin' and sputterin', grumblin' and mutterin', I swam to shore
and climbed up on the bank,
dragging Grandpaw Bean's fishing line behind me.

So many mishaps to entertain you, if this is your notion of entertainment, Goodreaders. There's a friendly family ending as well.

FIVE STARS, of course.

[Tony Pope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back in the 1990s, this book was on the Georgia Children’s Picture Book Award Nominee list. Reading it again has reminded me of why I enjoyed it back then...mistakes (or in this case...a regular flood of mishap) is something we all have happen and love can overcome our mistakes.

[Elizabeth Thorpe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely love this book! Ima Bean "is just tryin' to help" and she seems to make things worse and worse. She finally decides she has done so much wrong that no one could possibly love her anymore - so she determines to go home, pack her suitcase, and leave home for good. And then, the best part of the story ever, her family comes looking for her. It has a wonderful Appalachian accent and lilt to the writing making it fun to read. I've read this book to my kids over and over again. When I'd read the last page where Ima Bean says she forgot, "In my family, we're always family" my kids always snuggled in just a little closer. Now that's an excellent book with an excellent message. Every once in a while, when one thing after another would go wrong in our own lives, one of us would dramatically throw our hands in the air and exclaim, "Oh me, oh my, black clouds fly my trouble across the sky, I goofed." And then we'd all break down into giggles, the tension would dissolve, and somehow either our problems shrank or our courage and determination grew. My kids are all adults now and want copies for their own homes. The art is well done - colorful, engaging, drawing you into the story. This is one of my top 10 favorite children's book.

[Jocelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is really fun to read with a hillbilly accent. It's fun and cute, and the main message is that you can mess things up royally and your family will still love you. I only rated it 4 instead of 5 because we didn't read it enough times for me to be sure if it was Eleanor's favorite as much as mine.

[The Brothers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ima Bean starts a chain reaction of mishaps by accidentally breaking Grandpaw Bean's fishing pole (the whole family is named after some sort of bean, e.g. Lima, Chili etc.). So after wreaking her havoc on the entire farm Ima decides to run away, but then learns of the forgiveness of families. Written in a "hick" vernacular that got a little tedious after awhile.

Good illustrations.

[Cana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mommy says: Yee-hah! Black clouds fly my troubles in the sky! This kid has more bad luck (despite his good intentions) than a fly in in a black bear's molasses. Mighty fun to read with a good hillbilly accent.

[Roseanne Wilkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun read-aloud book that teaches you're loved no matter how many mistakes you make. I loved the names of the characters and how the story starts with just one simple mistake and then rolls into a whole mountain of trouble. Highly recommended.

[Joann White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about the adventures of a young boy running away from home. Good pictures.

[Kelly Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Story of a boy who seems to have everything go wrong so he decides to run away. In the end he realizes that his family will still love him even if he messed everything up.

[Rima Halig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have to read to see how much trouble Ima Bean gets into by messing with her Grandpaws fishing pole. FYI all the family members have some type of bean name in their name, very funny.

[Susanne Davison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absoluetly love this book. It's one that even my 24 year old daughter recently requested I read. I love to voice in this story and the tender family love shown to the little girl!

[Madison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be a fun and exciting book to read to children. It shows children that everyone makes mistakes and it's ok

[Kareen Warnick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must be read aloud with a thick ol' accent!! This was a favorite of my kids when I was teaching.