Clarice Bean, That's Me

Story

In the chaotic Bean household, Clarice has difficulty finding any peace. She shares her bedroom with her younger brother Minal (who likes to hang upside down until he turns purple), and where all her things are crammed into the tiniest of spaces. Her boy-mad older sister and other brother Kurt (struggling with his perplexing adolescence), have rooms of their own to go to. Even the grown-ups have their boltholes: Dad gets to escape to the office, Granddad to his comfy chair and Mum to the bathroom. Only when Clarice openly rebels does she finally succeed in getting the peace and quiet she really wants.

Why we chose it

A true picture book classic that launched the best-selling Clarice Bean series.

Where it came from

The author was trying to come up with an idea for an animation when she imagined Clarice Bean. Lauren Child drew a scruffy looking girl and had the type weaving around the drawings – it was all written from the girl’s point of view. She also used a different typeface for each character so that just by looking at the picture you could hear what kind of voice they had. And she used all kinds of materials in the pictures to give a scrapbook feel – as if Clarice had done it herself.

Where it went next

The book was a Bronze runner-up for the Smarties Prize and was also a highly commended runner-up for the Kate Greenaway Medal. There are now six books in the Clarice Bean series.

Associated stories

A spin-off series, Ruby Redfort, was started in 2011. The author first introduced the character of Ruby, a 13-year-old American secret agent, in her Clarice Bean novels. Ruby is now the star of her own series and has featured in six novels so far.