Preteen girl looking at a cell phone with her parents

Personalized picks at your fingertips

Get the mobile app on iOS and Android

Get the app
Parents' Guide to

Bean's Night

By Karyn Wellhousen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 2+

Cat lovers will enjoy Bean's mischievous antics.

Book Sarah Hines-Stephens Picture Book 1998
Bean's Night Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

See all

There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

What's the Story?

Cat lovers will immediately recognize--and be amused by--the mischievous antics of the main character, a black cat named Bean. When night comes, Bean awakes and pursues a toy mouse. By sunrise, Bean is fast asleep with his small companion.

Bean is a typical feline who sleeps by day and plays all night. Bean's source of entertainment is a pink toy mouse, which he avidly plays with. The action is described in simple two-word (subject-verb) sentences such as "Bean scrambles" and "Bean dives." The illustrator uses light and dark shades to depict the difference in lighting between day and night.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

A playful black cat named Bean busily pursues a toy mouse in this enjoyable and durable board book. Children may recognize the amusing leaps and scrambles if there is a cat in the family. The concept of day and night is introduced along with the nocturnal nature of cats. The text consists of two-word sentences describing Bean's every move, and older toddlers may choose to join in the read-aloud once the text becomes familiar.

The dark illustrations are well composed and accurately depict Bean at play as he creeps, hides, scrambles, and sleeps. The mouse is a bright pink color, indicating it is only a toy. Shading in variations from gray to blue are used to distinguish daytime from nighttime.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about nighttime and daytime activities. What do people usually do at night and during the day? What about other animals?

Book Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate