Kids Need Friends and Heroes

This is the cover image for the book, created by Levi Whitworth. This book is copyrighted by Emmy Swain. It should not be copied or downloaded for any reason.

“Meet Franklin Bean” is a children’s fantasy chapter book by Emmy Swain, illustrated by Levi Whitworth. I reviewed this book for the
author and she provided me with a pdf copy without compensation and asked for an honest review. I am a mother of three, former
teacher, and children’s book author.

Franklin Bean deals with real, important issues that affect children and their families, everything from unemployment, moving to a new town, bullies and how a child feels about all these pressures.

John, a ten-year-old boy, meets Franklin Bean just when he needs a friend the most. Who Franklin is and how he changes John’s life is
part magic, part good advice and part timeless friendships and all they mean to us.

Levi Whitworth’s illustrations are colorful, simple enough to appeal to even very young children, but also, to me, some of them even
showed of John’s loneliness and confusion by the use of muted, sometimes almost non-existent backgrounds.

I especially like the way adults are treated in this book. They are respected and an important part of the story, unlike many books I
have recently read. I also like John’s polite, respectful character, and how he wants to help meet his family’s needs.

Pancho Frijole was a surprise, to put it mildly, but children need heroes, especially when they feel lonely and times are tough. I look
forward to seeing how the series develops and how John learns more about Franklin Bean and Pancho Frijole, and I’ll bet Emmy
Swain’s readers will, too. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.