My family is big fans of Ivy and Bean and Miri. And that the idea of unleashed fun - the anti-camp and the camp that causes mass defections from all the other camps - just seemed like it was going to end up in Dionysian frenzy, which is exactly where I like all the Ivy and Bean books to end up. Annie Barrows is a New York Times bestselling author, best known for the Ivy and Bean series of childrens books. They keep telling me to stop doing what I’m doing.” And I thought, “It’s a grown-up idea, it’s a grown-up idea, these camps full o’ fun,” and I thought, “Well, what would Bean do?” Well, what Bean would do is she’d make her own and she’d make her own rules such as “You can only have as much fun as you are willing to get hurt.” And so I was sort of just riffing on that idea, that parade of camps that most kids deal with now. Not only is Barrows the bestselling author of the Ivy and Bean series for children, illustrated by Sophie Blackall, she also co-authored The Guernsey. Our family motto is actually that first rule of Bean’s, which is “You can only have as much fun as you are willing to get hurt.” And so when my kids would come home, they’d be so disappointed: “There’s rules. Barrowss debut childrens book energetically kicks off a series. My kid would come home and say, “They said safety first,” which is just completely antithetical to my family’s idea of a good time. Annie Barrows, Author, Sophie Blackall, Illustrator, illus. I would read the description of the camp: “Oh, it’s going to be so much fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun,” and then they’d get to the camp and there’d be rules everywhere. And they’d look at the pictures and there’d be all these kids having a rip-roaring time. Annie Barrows is the author of the childrens series Ivy and Bean, as well as The Magic Half.

Barrows: What seemed to happen a lot with my kids, and then their friends, and a bunch of kids I know is that… the idea of camp was so wonderful and intriguing and seductive.

Annie barrows books in order