Danny's Doodles: The Jelly Bean Experiment

With plenty of humor and wackiness, this book is sure to capture those students who have more of adventurous sensibility. The writing is very strong in this book for it's age group but with chapters that are focused as to not make it difficult for young readers to have trouble understanding. I enjoyed the vocabulary in this book as it good for young readers using scientific/math words such as Statistic, Skew. The illustrations are simple but help provide the reader will a fun intervention between pages.

I liked the book, but the doodles less… I am not sure they add to the story. But without the doodles it would just be Danny: the Jelly Bean experiment, The Danny Series, which I kind of like. BUT, back to the story of Danny and Calvin. Two different 4th grade boys with two different ways of seeing things creates a good story about individuals being who they are and finding out this is a good thing. Kid relationship building = negotiating differences while figuring out who they are as individuals. Danny and Calvin seem pretty clear about who they are individually, it's the negotiating that create the story, well that and the jelly bean experiment as a vehicle throughout the negotiations. I like the story - the experiment and Calvin's dedication to it (thank you tho those who had appointed out the scientific method being followed), Danny's willingness to participate despite having no clue what the experiment is about (Danny has no real reluctance, outside of not eating the jelly beans). And I liked the ending, the "sometimes different is good" part. I see 3rd graders enjoying this, boys and girls. I would like to see what Danny does in the next book "The Donut Dilemma"… we are in the age of The Donut. ( )