Jellybeans

by Sylvia van Ommen

Dutch author/artist Sylvia van Ommen presents a delightfully—and deceptively—simple tale introducing a pair of friends whose favorite treat inspires some unexpectedly deep questions. George, a young rabbit, gets a message from his pal Oscar, a cat. "How about going to the park and eating jellybeans?" The two friends meet up and have a hilarious and surprisingly perceptive discussion about the existence of heaven, and what might or might not go on there, while nibbling on their favorite food. Funny, winsome, with a touch of Frog and Toad and a huge dollop of charm, this little book is an enchanting, provocative read.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Friendship, Death, Fiction, Juvenile

56 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Laura]

Two friends head off to the park to talk, snack, and relax. Over jellybeans and hot chocolate, the pair ends up discussing, guessing, and wondering about heaven.

“I’m going if you’re going, that’s for sure.”

Such a warm, cute, touching--yet serious--exchange on the afterlife that will make you smile and wonder yourself. The power of this story truly snuck up on me.

A pure, sweet delight!


2/14/12

[Chrissy]

My daughter picked this at the library, thinking it was about jellybeans (because the title is jellybeans), we took it home. Well, it's not about jellybeans. It's about death and the afterlife. WHAT? Um, ok. Putting aside the misleading title, still not a good book. Weird format, bland illustrations, and a morose discussion. Stupid.

[stacy]

bizarre book, definitely not what i expected. it's possible that there should be a disclaimer on it or something.

[Muff]

This is a little gem of a book about friendship now and forever. Understated, yet charming pictures convey the gentle emotions. I rarely buy books, but I ordered a copy of this one.

[m]

2 year old recently discovered Jellybeans (her first taste of candy, thank you, Easter Bunny) and was excited to find a book about Jellybeans at the library.

Is it about Jellybeans? Not really.

Is it way too existential for a 2 y.o? Definitely.

Did we enjoy it anyways? Yes!

(sidenote, these reviews are hilarious)

[Sarah]

Not at all what I was expecting when I picked the book up based on the title and cover. If someone needs to talk about heaven with their child, this is a nice book to help get the conversation started. The illustrations are simple and lighthearted for a difficult topic.

[Jessie Qi]

Sweet book about afterlife! The conversation between two friends was casual and cozy. I thought it would be more in depth discussion but it is a children’s picture book after all. The seemingly simple conversation is staying with me, and making me think like a brain warm

[Slmstanley]

Weird little kid book of two cartoon rabbits musing about the afterlife.

[Michelle Farella]

This book took an odd turn...

[Montse]

Els llibres són més bonics si són dedicats <3

[Bloom]

Filosofia

[Kelly]

A little curious. But cute enough.

[Libertad Botia]

3.5

[Minnie]

Little book, big gems

[Geert]

Belangrijke personages om te onthouden
* Joris: Een haas die houdt van gezelligheid en eenvoud. Hij is degene die voor de ontmoeting in het park een zak drop meeneemt om samen op te eten.
* Oscar: Een kat en de beste vriend van Joris. Hij zorgt voor de drankjes (koffie) tijdens hun picknick. Oscar is de diepzinnige denker van de twee; door zijn vragen krijgt hun simpele ontmoeting een diepere laag.

Fascinerende weetjes en filosofische observaties
* Gekeuvel met een diepere betekenis: Wat begint als een heel gewone afspraak in het park om snoep te eten, verandert door een opmerking van Oscar plotseling in een filosofisch gesprek over de dood en het hiernamaals. Het laat zien hoe grote levensvragen heel organisch kunnen ontstaan uit alledaagse momenten.
* Bestaat de hemel en kennen we elkaar daar nog? Oscar vraagt zich hardop af of er 'daarboven' een hemel is. De twee vrienden filosoferen over de vraag of ze elkaar na de dood nog wel zullen herkennen als ze elkaar daar weer tegenkomen.
* De ultieme voorwaarde (Is er wel drop?): Voor Joris en Oscar is de hemel pas écht de hemel als er één specifiek ding aanwezig is: drop. Het snoepje keert als een rode draad terug in al hun bespiegelingen over de eeuwigheid.
* Kracht van zwart-wit: Het boek valt op door zijn extreme eenvoud. Geen felle, schreeuwende kleuren, maar minimalistische zwart-wittekeningen. Juist die rustige, pretentieloze illustraties versterken de serene en intieme sfeer van hun gesprek.
* Een internationaal succesvol debuut: Drop was in 2002 het debuutboek van Sylvia van Ommen. Hoewel het een klein Nederlands boekje is, werd het destijds verkozen tot 'Best verzorgde kinderboek' en is het in meer dan tien landen (waaronder de VS, Frankrijk en Duitsland) vertaald

[Michael Dollan]

Sweets by Sylvia van Ommen

I can't help but like this book, although I do find it to be somewhat unusual (all part of its charm), and I'll admit right away that I'm not sure I would ever use it in a classroom situation.

The black and white nature of the book at first seems like it may detract from the visual appeal, however the simple line drawings are charming and manage to be full of character. This book reads a little like an adult newspaper comic strip, one of those that uses cartoon techniques to raise interesting questions or dilemmas, and in fact 'Sweets' does just that.

On a lovely day 2 friends arrange to meet in the park to eat some sweets, Joris wIll bring the sweets, and Oscar will bring the drinks. Once the friends meet they settle in the park then, rather philosophically, begin to discuss whether there is a heaven and what it will be like if they go there, and, most importantly to them, whether they would still be friends.

It's interesting to see a subject like this tackled in this way. No religious overtones (other than the concept of heaven) are present and actually the conversation the characters have focuses on how they could continue their friendship if they ended up in heaven.
"What if it's so big you never bump into anybody?"
"Or so crowded that we never find each other?"

I imagine that this book would lead to some interesting questions in a classroom situation, but I am unsure that I would ever use it within a classroom with such a wide range of literature available.

[Eva Kelly]

I liked the drawings in this one. It's about a rabbit and a cat who meet in the park to eat jellybeans and drink hot chocolate, and how they'll meet in heaven if there is one. I think they will but if they don't, it's ok. They're both nice and will make other friends.
I really really love this one so much that we are buying it. That way someone else can get it from the library and they'll like it too, and I can read it any time I want to.

[Katherine]

Right from the beginning, I was put off by the two animal friends texting each other on cell phones. Then the pop theology started, and I almost stopped reading. But I kept reading because I didn't want to miss the ending just in case it had any redeeming qualities, but it didn't.

[Libby]

Definitely too mature for my 14-month old son. I was a bit confused at the beginning, until I realized that the two characters were text messaging each other. (isn't that strange for a picture book?) It could be a good segue for talking about death/life after death with your child.

[Carrie Gelson]

Waiting for Godot meets jelly beans, a rabbit and a cat. I liked this book and its "What if . . ." "What might be. . " discussion about heaven and afterlife possibilities. Not enough children's books explore these types of open ended discussions.

[Peter McCleery]

Very quirky and "European." I think this book is open ended enough to be appreciated by kids and adults. My kids liked the jellybeans and hot chocolate friendship story, while I appreciated it as an odd "Waiting for Godot" sort of thing. I have no idea what the author intended with this book!

[Melissa]

I found this book quite charming and fun. I am having a hard time seeing why it has such a low rating. It is a bit sad how it talks about death, and it is a bit controversial in talking about heaving, but it does revolve around friendship and food.

[Rivers]

Totally weird. It was with all the kids' books, but I can't see any reason a kid would be interested. I had to switch the words because I didn't need to be reading stuff about dying and "heaven" to my 3 year old. Bizarre book. I am flummoxed as to how it even got published.

[Bottom Shelf Books]

http://bottomshelfbooks.blogspot.com/...

[Rachelle]

Title in English: Sweets. Available in English from Winged Chariot Press.

This book is utterly charming. Among the top 5 picture books I've ever read.

[Maria]

I love this little book by fellow Dutchie.
It discusses heaven in a fresh way. It's touching and deep.

[Rachel]

Odd picture book involving two animals texting each other to meet in the park with jellybeans and hot chocolate, then it goes into discussion about life after death and will they meet up again.

[Mckinley]

Don't let the cover fool you, there is no color in the drawings. They are good though.
Story didn't really work for me.

[Christina]

Oscar and George meet in the park and talk about heaven over jellybeans and hot chocolate. Open-ended and non-preachy.

[Paula]

Two friends, a rabbit and a cat, speculate about what heaven will be like as they enjoy a visit to the park.