Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

With email making the art of letter writing almost obsolete and texting turning spelling into truncated babble, this picture book is a clever and refreshing antidote. Beatrice likes to make letters--not the mail kind, but the kind that form words--correctly. While she knows her alphabet and can write all the letters, her problem is putting them in the right order. Her grandma Nanny Hannah comes to her rescue and shows her a technique. Voilà, the more Beatrice spells (even words that are L-U-L-Us), the more she learns how words are put together. "That's my spelling Bea," says Nanny Hannah. Enthusiastic about her newly found skill, Beatrice launches a spelling campaign, correcting all the misspelled signs in town, but when she tries to start a spelling club, none of the kids are interested. That is, until her dictionary sparks an idea. The next day, when it's her turn for show and tell, she changes the spelling on the blackboard to show and spell! Her report on her pet T-A-R-A-N-T-U-L-A and its T-E-R-R-A-R-I-U-M home is a huge hit, turning the whole class into spelling bugs. Potter's quirky illustrations have just the right childlike quality to complement the text, cleverly incorporating amusing details. The ending neatly ties up the storyline with Beatrice writing a real letter, the kind that begins with "Dear Somebody." Beatrice, whose own name is a bit of a L-U-L-U, is totally charming, and the story and artwork are a P-E-R-F-E-C-T M-A-T-C-H. (Picture book. 5-8)

School Library Journal Starred Review (Sun Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)

Gr 1-3 Once Beatrice figures out how to spell, she doesn't want to stop. With the support of her grandma, she spells everywhere and anywhere. Around town she spends her time correcting the myriad spelling errors she finds. At school she tries to start a spelling club, but her friends aren't interested. A disheartened Beatrice stops spelling for a whole week, until she comes up with a clever plan. She turns the class Show and Tell into Show and Spell, and then tells the class about her pet T-A-R-A-N-T-U-L-A Rose. Show and Spell takes the school by storm and soon Beatrice and her friends are spelling anywhere, at any time, and correcting errors together. Beatrice then writes a letter to Nanny Hannah, thanking her for giving her the spelling bug. This wordy picture book will introduce children not only to the joys of spelling but also to words like "lulu" and "crackerjack." Potter's folk-arty illustrations depict the story's action and emotion well, but feel a little dated. This book will find a ready audience among the spelling crowd and might encourage others to join them.— Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH

ALA Booklist (Fri Nov 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)

Beatrice doesn't think she's ever going to learn to spell her name correctly, but once that's accomplished, she's off and running. She spells, and she spells well. Beatrice goes around town correcting misspelled signs, but when she tries to get her classmates to join a spelling club, all she hears is a big N-O. Then, an idea. She turns show-and-tell into show-and-spell. When she brings her T-A-R-A-N-T-U-L-A to class, she spells out all its characteristics. Now this sounds like fun to the class, and soon all the kids are joining in. This latest collaboration between Best and Potter features a smart, sympathetic heroine and her stalwart, spelling-loving grandmother who has encouraged her "spelling Bea" throughout her word-filled journey. The letter mentioned in the title is the one Bea writes to Nanny Hannah at the end of the book, thanking her: "Some people get hazel eyes . . . or orange sweaters from their grandmas. Thank you for giving me spelling." Sturdy illustrations, full of action (and words), appear alongside a story that appeals to both heart and mind, making this S-W-E-L-L.

Horn Book (Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)

The team responsible for Shrinking Violet offers this tale of a spelling-obsessed kid who is distressed after her efforts to start a spelling club at school are met with yawns. She gets her classmates to change their minds improbably easily and completely, but the writing is spick-and-span, and Potter scores with her customary warmth and attention to facial features.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

With email making the art of letter writing almost obsolete and texting turning spelling into truncated babble, this picture book is a clever and refreshing antidote. Beatrice likes to make letters--not the mail kind, but the kind that form words--correctly. While she knows her alphabet and can write all the letters, her problem is putting them in the right order. Her grandma Nanny Hannah comes to her rescue and shows her a technique. Voilà, the more Beatrice spells (even words that are L-U-L-Us), the more she learns how words are put together. "That's my spelling Bea," says Nanny Hannah. Enthusiastic about her newly found skill, Beatrice launches a spelling campaign, correcting all the misspelled signs in town, but when she tries to start a spelling club, none of the kids are interested. That is, until her dictionary sparks an idea. The next day, when it's her turn for show and tell, she changes the spelling on the blackboard to show and spell! Her report on her pet T-A-R-A-N-T-U-L-A and its T-E-R-R-A-R-I-U-M home is a huge hit, turning the whole class into spelling bugs. Potter's quirky illustrations have just the right childlike quality to complement the text, cleverly incorporating amusing details. The ending neatly ties up the storyline with Beatrice writing a real letter, the kind that begins with "Dear Somebody." Beatrice, whose own name is a bit of a L-U-L-U, is totally charming, and the story and artwork are a P-E-R-F-E-C-T M-A-T-C-H. (Picture book. 5-8)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

With their customary novelistic depth and nuance, Best and Potter, the team behind Three Cheers for Catherine the Great! and other titles, tell the story of a girl named Beatrice whose initially rocky relationship with spelling (she spells her name ABCTERIE) turns into a full-fledged romance. Although Beatrice-s family doesn-t share her interest in spelling (-Leo had his ant farm, June had gymnastics, and her parents had their music-), she discovers a fellow word lover in her grandmother (-Life without spelling would be A-W-F-U-L,- Nanny Hannah declares), who gives Beatrice her first dictionary, introduces her to Scrabble, and offers up no less than Thomas Jefferson (-a crackerjack speller-) as a role model. Thus inspired, Beatrice overcomes her classmates- skepticism (-Spelling makes me yawn,- a boy informs her), and transforms them into a spelling SWAT team who go -all over town looking for good words to spell-and for people-s mistakes.- Potter-s flattened, folk art-like perspectives, mannerist poses, and overall originality continue to be a terrific match for Best-s special brand of storytelling, with its lovely sense of restraint and striking emotional richness. Ages 5-8. (Aug.)