- Picture Books
- Ages 4–8
- Comedy
The Cool Bean
Book 3 of 8 in The Food GroupView the full series
A funny school-feelings picture book about wanting to be cool and discovering that kindness matters more.
- Best for4–8
- FormatPicture
- Length40 pp
- Read aloud~8 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Comedic
Tone
- Funny
- Warm
- Silly
- Heartwarming
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
The Cool Bean used to be friends with the cool beans, but now they seem effortlessly stylish and popular while he feels awkward, left behind and uncool. He tries to act the part, but the harder he tries, the worse he feels. What finally changes things is not becoming cool in a performative way, but noticing that the truly cool beans are kind when no one is watching. This is one of the most school-relevant Food Group books, because it gets at a very real early-childhood anxiety: who is cool, who belongs and what counts as friendship. Jory John's comic narration makes the insecurity funny rather than painful, and Pete Oswald's bean designs give the social dynamics immediate visual clarity.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 4–8
- Read aloud · 3–8
- Independent · 6–8
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Excellent
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Bedtime
- Reading together
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
4 / 5 · Bedtime-friendly
Sensitive-child
4 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Friendship groups
- Confidence
- Kindness
- School feelings
- Funny pshe
Avoid if
- Wants adventure plot
- Dislikes school stories
Particularly good for children who are…
- Making friends
- Low self esteem
- Reluctant reader
- Starting school
- Being bullied
In the classroom
How it works in school.
Jory John's hugely popular food-character picture books — funny read-alouds that are PSHE gold for talking about behaviour, feelings and being yourself.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific recognition is the cool kids actually being kind — the Cool Bean watching his old friends become stylish and popular, trying to keep up and failing, discovering the cool beans are the ones who are nice when no one's looking. The Food Group on assumed exclusion and the relief when it isn't true.
- Friendship and belonging
- Transformation
- Making a difference
Why parents love it
The Food Group's school-anxiety entry — Jory John making the insecurity funny rather than painful, Pete Oswald's bean designs doing the social-dynamic work fast. Useful for any child mid-who-do-I-sit-with phase. One of the most directly school-relevant of the series.
- Conversation starter
- Shared humour
- Quick to read
- Educational for adult too
In the series
The Food Group.
8 books · open the series →
About the creators
About the creators.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
Where you’ll find it
On these reading lists.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
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