Five flies devoured a dropped bean, while 135 dogs ate cheese fallen from a truck, plus everyone in town ate an egg, or two, for breakfast. Oh, and 45 cats swallowed cheese for a snack. Then, oh my, they all fart at the same time. Can you imagine? The author sure can and tells the tale of a gase... more

Five flies devoured a dropped bean, while 135 dogs ate cheese fallen from a truck, plus everyone in town ate an egg, or two, for breakfast. Oh, and 45 cats swallowed cheese for a snack. Then, oh my, they all fart at the same time. Can you imagine? The author sure can and tells the tale of a gaseous town where all of this, and more, happened one not so fine day. After the farts came a huge blast that blew every grandma from their rocking chair onto a skateboard and caused zebras to change their stripes. This town was a mess, a smelly mess. How are they going to get rid of the odor? The author knows and tells the sad tale of this odorous town quite well. So well, one wonders if she and the illustrator were there that day. This is a book that EVERY boy (and girl), is going to love! It is colorful, humorous, smartly told and takes on a subject near and dear to young boys . . . well, anyway, they did a great job. Kids who read this are going to laugh until they bust a gut. Afterward, I'm betting each child will think of an animal they like and share what happened to it on that nose-holding day. Their imagination will take off. This book will become a favorite and be read over and over again. It All Began with a Bean tells a simple, yet “true” story. This must have been a gas to write and illustrate. The joy jumps off the pages. There is one moral (don’t eat fill in the blank), one major conflict (the gaseous odor), and one hero (the wind). This is a smart yet silly story written for fun. I am a little embarrassed, but happy, to say I smiled and laughed, groaned a few times, and wondered how this would all end. I did not eat raisins, chew gum or gulp air, but I did think of this book and smile the next time I . . . well, you understand. Note: received from netgalley, courtesy of the publisher.