Clarice Bean, That's Me! Quotes

When your annoying little brother shares your room, your older brother is in the tunnel of adolescence, your dad hides in his office eating rocky road ice cream and swaying to Frank Sinatra, and your mother listen to foreign language tapes in a candlelit bathtub, what can you do to get away from it all?

Meet the feisty Clarice Bean and sympathize with her search for just a little peace and quiet amidst a family many of us will recognize only too well. The witty text and jazzy illustrations capture the wonderful wacky chaos of a large extended family from the hilarious vantage point of one of its youngest members.

Clarice leads a cool, socialized life. Chaotic expressive pictures work well with scattergun text itemizing clarice’s likes and dislikes, family, relatives and friends. Stereotyped mum (relaxes in the bath ) and dad ( big office with Ms Egglington to buzz you through ). Many 10 year old girls might want to be Clarice.

Clarice Bean just wants to be alone, but finding some time and a place to be alone in her house is a challenge. Clarice lives with her mother and father, shares a room with her younger brother and has an older brother and sisters too. On top of that, her grandfather lives with the family. But when living stacked on top of each other leads to a big fight, can Clarice make the best of the consequences.

“Sometimes I say, I haven’t got time for all your nonsense. And he says, TWIT. And I say, Twit and a half. And he says, Twit with carrots in your ears. And then I flick his nose with my ruler, And he says, MOOOM, in this really whiny brother way.”

The mom listening to whales sing in the bathtub while standing on one foot = yoga; and the older brother that’s a teenager in his room with headphones on and a shirt that reads, “Shut up and go away.” A good book to read as an introduction to family discussion because the family is so large, someone everyone would be able to relate to.

“Later, after Clarice dumps a bowl of spaghetti on her brother’s head, her mother advises her to think before she acts, and this young queen of the quick comeback responds, “And she’s right. If I’d thought about it I would have put tapioca down his shorts.”

I love the way she talks about her family, because it’s sorta different to how an adult would see it. I wasn’t super into the art style at first, but it definitely grew on me, so much so that I now think the art style really adds to the charm and value of this picture book. I’d love to read more about Clarice Bean!

Graphically, these collage-like pages are as busy and spontaneous as Child’s (I Want a Pet) exuberant, self-assured heroine. Stylized, childlike drawings appear against backdrops of flowered wallpaper, linoleum tile and photographs, while the text’s fonts change as quickly and randomly as the amusingly opinionated Clarice’s thoughts.

Bright and brassy, this youngster will win over readers in a split second and will leave them hoping for more of her trials and tribulations.