Annie Barrows - Ivy and Bean Get to Work!

MORE THAN 6 MILLION COPIES SOLD!

* An ALA Notable Childrens Book

* A Booklist Editors Choice

* A Kirkus Reviews Best Childrens Book of the Year

* A Book Links Best New Book for the Classroom

* A New York Public Library Title for Reading and Sharing

* A People magazines Summers Hottest Reads selection

For the kids who read the very first book about Ivy and Bean a long time ago and the kids who are reading the very last book about Ivy and Bean now and all the kids who joined them in between.
A. B. + S. B.

Text copyright 2021 by Annie Barrows.
Illustrations copyright 2021 by Sophie Blackall.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available.

ISBN 978-1-7972-0510-6 (hc)
ISBN 978-1-7972-1003-2 (epub, mobi)

Series and book design by Sara Gillingham Studio.
Typeset in Blockhead and Candida.
The illustrations in this book were rendered in Chinese ink.

Chronicle Books LLC
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San Francisco, California 94107

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Bean dropped her pencil. Then she dropped her worksheet. After that, there was nothing else to drop. It was time for math.

Carlos earned $3 a week walking his grandmothers dog.

Why doesnt she walk her own dog? Bean wondered.

Carlos wanted a new seat for his bicycle.

What happened to the old seat? Bean wondered.

The seat he wanted cost $14.50.

For a seat? Bean thought you should get more than just a seat for $14.50.

How many weeks would it take for Carlos to earn enough money to buy the bike seat?

How should Bean know? Poor Carlos. Was he riding his bike without a seat? Ouch. Maybe if he walked the dog more, hed get more money. What was the matter with his grandmother? Had she broken her legs? Or was she just old? And what about the dog? Was the dog old, too? Did Carlos have to pick up its poop? Three dollars wasnt very much for that. Bean thought Carlos should get a different job. Maybe in an ice-cream store. Thats what Bean would do. If you work in an ice-cream store, you make money, plus you get to eat ice cream.

Okay, people, Ms. Aruba-Tate called. You should be finishing up.

Finishing? Im still on the first problem! Bean yelped.

Ms. Aruba-Tate clapped her hands. Its time to come to the rug for a special presentation. Marga-Lee, you are our Colorado today.

Everyone but Marga-Lee groaned. Marga-Lee put her hands in the air and yelled, I rock!

The rug in Ms. Aruba-Tates classroom was a big problem. It had a picture of the United States on it. It was supposed to teach the kids where all the states were. But the kids didnt care where all the states were. The only state they cared about was Colorado, because it had the Rocky Mountains in it. That meant whoever sat on Colorado got to yell, I rock! One day, fourteen kids tried to sit on Colorado at once, and Drew had to go to the nurses office to lie down. After that, Ms. Aruba-Tate made a Todays Colorado Is chart.

Even though none of the other states were nearly as good as Colorado, it was still hard to choose the right one. Bean and Ivy squished into Michigan together. Eric wanted to be North and South Dakota.

People, people! said Ms. Aruba-Tate. Sit down! Our special guest is here!

Everyone twisted around, trying to see the special guest. But it was only the Principal.

The Principal did not sit on the rug. She stood in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and smiled. Good morning, second-graders. I see that lots of you are ready to listen. Thank you, Zuzu. And Emma. And Eric. Thank you for being ready to listen like second-graders.

Get on with it! thought Bean.

Today, second-graders, Emerson School is hosting a special, special event!

Ivy and Bean exchanged glances. Taiko drumming, mouthed Ivy. Bean nodded.

But they were wrong. Its a Career Fair! said the Principal. Can anyone tell me what a career is?

A job, whispered Ivy.

A job! called Bean.

Very good! the Principal said. Thats right. At todays Career Fair, you will meet people who have many different kinds of jobs, so you can learn all about the wonderful, interesting careers you can choose when youre grown up.

Bean stopped listening. She already knew what she wanted to be when she grew up: an arborist. Arborists climbed trees. They climbed trees and cut off their dead branches with huge chain saws. She could hardly wait.

The Principal was still talking... the PTA has spent many weeks organizing this event, and it is an important learning opportunity, so I expect you, children, to be polite and respectful Emerson emissaries. Finally, she stopped and took a breath. Does anyone have any questions?

Are there rides? asked Emma.

When Ms. Aruba-Tates class arrived at the cafeteria, a PTA dad handed each student a pencil and a piece of paper. At the top were the words When I Grow Up, I Want to Be... The dad explained that they were supposed to list three jobs they had learned about at the Career Fair that they wanted to have when they were grown up.

Bean raised her hand. Is there an arborist in there?

The dad frowned. No, but theres a lawyer.

He hurried them inside. The long lunch tables that were usually in the cafeteria were gone. Instead, there were rows of small tables. At each one, there was a grown-up. On every table there was a sign saying the grown-ups name and job.

Wander around, kids! urged the dad. Ask questions! Find out what these people do all day! Discover your passion!

Okay, okay. Ivy and Bean stopped at the first table. On it sat a tall woman. Her sign said, Sheila, Yoga Instructor.