A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of the Year
One of The Horn Book‘s Best of the Year
One of the 20 Best July Books for Young Readers at Kirkus Reviews
A Brightly Best Picture Book of 2025
PRAISE FOR Everyday Bean:
“Varied in length, the tales are laced with simple yet delightful truths. . . . Graegin fills her delicately rendered, earth-toned art with charming details, as when Bean’s little quills poke between the spaces of her bike helmet. Best of all, this intergenerational tale shows how grandparents and grandkids can live happy lives, needing no one but one another.” —STARRED REVIEW, Kirkus Reviews
“Earth-toned digital artwork gives the duo all the accoutrements of humans, from toys to gardening tools to matching yellow boots, and oversize natural elements, including berries and flowers, remind readers of the critters’ diminutive size. . . . Whether tracing efforts to battle a bad mood or the experience of being tucked in like a ‘bean burrito,’ these legume-length stories consistently delight.” —STARRED REVIEW, Publishers Weekly
“Bean and Grandma’s heartwarming everyday adventures, complete with subtle and genuine humor, are ripe for repeat reads and further series entries.” —STARRED REVIEW, The Horn Book
“Graegin’s finely detailed drawings and soft color palette are a cozy complement to her charming anecdotes, all of which demonstrate how the hedgehogs’ daily lives are warmed and improved by love, imagination and play. . . . These 10 stories about growing up and adapting to change brim with cheery optimism. . . . Hooray for hedgehogs!” —STARRED REVIEW, BookPage
“Stephanie Graegin uses observant lines of text and affectionate, detailed illustrations to tell . . . this humane and beguiling collection.” —Wall Street Journal
“Bean is an adorable little nugget of a hedgehog. With cozy illustrations reminiscent of Beatrix Potter, anthropomorphized garden critters go about their business. A short collection of stories . . . show the magic in simple moments, like riding a swing or playing with stuffed animals.” —School Library Journal
“In Everyday Bean, Stephanie Graegin has given a little hedgehog and her grandma the same kind of symmetry as peer friendships, but simultaneously the unique empathy and protectiveness of a grandparent, and the loving trust of a grandchild. . . . Each note in Everyday Bean resonates.” —Imaginary Elevators
“[A] book with great potential to become a well-loved favorite over time, with gentle humor, familiar situations, and adorable characters.” —Kids Book a Day
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