Old Granny and the Bean Thief

by Cynthia C. DeFelice, Cat Bowman Smith (Illustrator)

Take your friends where you can find them!

Old Granny is lonely, living way out in the country with no one to talk to. She’s happy enough, though, as long as she has her beans. One night a thief climbs through the window of
her little cabin while she’s sleeping and steals her beans! Old Granny sets out to see the sheriff. Along the way, she meets an odd assortment of talking creatures: a snake, a pecan, a cow patty, a prickly pear cactus, and an alligator. Soon they’ve all befriended Old Granny, and joined forces to help her foil the thief in this humorous tale that glows with the bright, bold colors of the Southwest. 
Old Granny and the Bean Thief is a 2004 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 7, 2003

About the author

Cynthia DeFelice is the author of many bestselling titles for young readers, including the novels Wild Life, The Ghost of Cutler Creek, Signal, and The Missing Manatee, as well as the picture books, One Potato, Two Potato, and Casey in the Bath. Her books have been nominated for an Edgar Allen Poe Award and listed as American Library Association Notable Children's Books and Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year, among numerous other honors.

Cynthia was born in Philadelphia in 1951. As a child, she was always reading. Summer vacations began with a trip to the bookstore, where she and her sister and brothers were allowed to pick out books for their summer reading. “To me,” she says, “those trips to the bookstore were even better than the rare occasions when we were given a quarter and turned loose at the penny-candy store on the boardwalk.” Cynthia has worked as a bookseller, a barn painter, a storyteller, and a school librarian.

When asked what she loves best about being an author, she can’t pick just one answer: “I love the feeling of being caught up in the lives of the characters I am writing about. I enjoy the challenge of trying to write as honestly as I can, and I find enormous satisfaction in hearing from readers that something I wrote touched them, delighted them, made them shiver with fear or shake with laughter, or think about something new.” Cynthia and her husband live in Geneva, New York.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/cynthi...

Reviews

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an adventure, which I appreciate.

But as a senior myself (and likely older than that Old Granny portrayed with a fabulous complexion and an enviable head of hair), I'm a bit offended by lines like:

Old Granny was madder than a pussycat thrown into a pond.

Huh?

Still, this tale gathered momentum -- in its totally implausible way -- and I found myself smiling and rooting for Old Granny and her unlikely group of helpers.

A happy ending arrived for all, except for the naughty bean thief. I can see how kids might love this book. Be prepared to read it again and again.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this tale to an audience of two: one five year old and one three year old. Someone is getting into Granny’s cabin and stealing her 🫘 beans. The real adventure begins when Granny sets out to report the thieving to the Sheriff. She grabs her sack and sets off to town. Along the way, she meets some unique creatures: a snake, a cow pie 🥧, a cactus and an alligator. The real fun 🤩 begins on Granny’s return trip back home 🏡.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like beans almost as much as this other old lady does, but I'd like to think that I would make friends with, and share the beans with, the thief, instead of just scaring it away.

[Kitty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Appealing to 4 through 6 year olds. Good tale to reinforce skils in following a story and memory skills.

[Devon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story is about a grandmother who lives in a cabin in the middle of the country all by her lonesome making and eating beans all day, every day until someone starts sneaking in her home at night and stealing all her beans. When she finally decides to make the long walk to town to tell the sheriff about the thief, she runs into some unusual friends (a snake, a pecan, a cow pie, an alligator, and a cactus) who she ends up bringing home with her (upon their request), especially when she has no luck meeting with the sheriff. The new friends set up all over her house and end up using themselves as booby-traps to catch the granny’s bean thief. After they run him off, they stay at the cabin with granny, keeping her company and eating beans. The story was very comical, had great illustrations and a funny ending. I think this story could work well for a read-aloud with a young group of students, especially because of the repetition that is found when granny meets each friend, which could be used during prediction activities. After reading this story and relating it to my personal life, I decided this was a picture book that I really liked.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

What four-year-old boy wouldn't love a story that includes a talking cow patty? Plus an alligator, a cactus, and a thieving raccoon who gets his comeuppance. Wonderful book.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A talking cow patty! What more can I say? My library students love this one and so do I!

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first impression seems predictable but turns out to be funnier than expected.

[Rina · Rating 3 out of 5]

funny story, easy to read to the little one