Junie B. Jones

[friendtoall]

I'm sure I've read many recommendations here for this book. I am shocked. I got the CDs out of the library yesterday for my children (6 and 4). They listened for a while at bedtime. I overheard a lot of "stupid" and "shut up". I asked my daughter, the 6 yo, if Junie B went to your school, do you think you'd be friends? She said, not so much - she says a lot of bad words. I don't think they'll be too disappointed in not finishing the books.

Am I the only parent that doesn't like these books?

[Youngfrankenstein]

I can't stand these books! When my kids were first reading chapter books, 4-5 years old, I got one of those on tape and was shocked. It was a kindergarten girl who didn't want to ride the "stupid, smelly bus" and I thought it was over the top and not good for my kids.

I have no idea why these are so popular, there are soooo many great books out there.

No, you're not the only one!

[Alyantavid]

My son loves Junie B. He knows (and knew way before we discovered Junie B) that some words are not nice and we don't say them.

With that said, I do think they could be better without some of those words, but my kid devours them and I'm not one for censoring what he reads.

[simplehome]

Thanks for the tip. I was considering those, and may look down the shelf a bit more now.

[Thalia the Muse]

I have to say, I was unthrilled with the first two or three Junie B. books and prepared to dismiss the whole series out of hand, but the later ones are extremely funny. I mean, Junie never becomes anyone's role model, but she gets less gratingly bratty and awful and becomes more just exuberant and thoughtless. And the books offer a good opportunity to talk about why some of these behaviors don't work out so well for Junie, and making better choices.

I think it took Barbara Park a few books to get the tone right and figure out who Junie is. "Loves Handsome Warren" is some kind of minor classic (and sends a good message to little girls who are enamored of the whole "having a boyfriend" idea), and "Smells Something Fishy" is hilarious.

I really hate Stupid Smelly Bus, though! If that was all I had read, I would be pretty anti-Junie B. Also, I think the books are aimed at, and better for, kids who are seven or eight and can kind of feel superior to Junie's antics and wacky grammar, rather than actual kindergarten-age children.

[Multimomma]

Originally Posted by friendtoall

I'm sure I've read many recommendations here for this book. I am shocked. I got the CDs out of the library yesterday for my children (6 and 4). They listened for a while at bedtime. I overheard a lot of "stupid" and "shut up". I asked my daughter, the 6 yo, if Junie B went to your school, do you think you'd be friends? She said, not so much - she says a lot of bad words. I don't think they'll be too disappointed in not finishing the books.

Am I the only parent that doesn't like these books?

I don't like the books either, but my kids love them. I think they're popular with kids because kids LOVE to try on roles. They love to see bad guys and imagine being that person, or fighting that person, or what have you.

As PP mentioned, i'm not big on censorship what we do is talk talk talk. We talk about how we would feel if someone treated us like that, how we would feel if we could treat others the way Junie B does. We talk about better ways to get what we want, and about how sometimes things just don't work the way we expect. And over time, I did see that Junie was developing as a character.

My absolute favorite is the one in which her favorite gloves are missing. If you read the books, you start to hear that Junie B does get lessons from her parents about not using bad words. She gets it from her teachers about not whining or tattling. And her friends don't tolerate it much either. SO kids get to see how acting like a brat really doesn't pay off in the long run.

[zinemama]

I don't like them, either. And the thing is, there are plenty of other books out there for this age group that aren't full of "shut up" and "stupid." So I don't think my kids are deprived in any way by not reading them.

Do I forbid my kids to read them? Of course not. But they haven't brought them home yet and I'm not about to seek them out.

[Thalia the Muse]

Frankly, the REAL brat in the later books isn't Junie B. at all, it's her snotty entitled friend with the "richie Grandma" who tries to boss everybody. And she is an excellent object lesson on how acting like a jerk tends to rebound on you.

[mammastar2]

I don't like them either, between the behavior and the cutesy language. Dd gave them a try for a bit because other kids at school read them, but she didn't get into them at all.

I think part of the reason she didn't enjoy them was because they don't hold a candle to Beverly Cleary's Ramona books, which I highly recommend! Really, I think the Junie B. books are just a poor imitation, since they're also about a sometimes 'naughty' little girl and her escapades, but the Ramona ones are so well-written and three dimensional in comparison.

[sunnmama]

Dd had a few of these at that age. They are ubiquitous at thrift stores, ime. I think a lot depends on the child, you know? We enjoyed them, because dd is a "rule follower" and enjoyed hearing Junie B's jaw-dropping comments. Junie B. is sort of the anti-dd, and so it was a fun escape for her to imagine being so brazen. It never affected her behavior negatively. For some kids, they can be a lot of fun. And I have to admit, they make me laugh ("handsome Warren" )

[1littlebit]

i love the ramona books!!

junie B jones sounds unpleasant.. why would they say that kind of stuff? its very negative.

[meemee]

: yeah i hate them too. the grammar is what gets me. i dont mind the language so much. my dd discovered them at 5 so she was well aware of bad words. in fact she is the one who came and told me 'oh no she uses unkind words.' i have not encouraged her to read those books. yet she went thru a stage when she enjoyed them. but i guess the story line did not thrill her v. much as say Beverly Cleary's books or even the Laura Engles books. she does pick them up once in a while but i dont mind. she reads other things too. i feel well if i can flip thru people magazine she can have her 'people' kinda book too.

yeah i dont censor.

[Thalia the Muse]

The Ramona books are literature -- the Junie B's are just a fun diversion that beginning readers can tackle fairly easily.

sunnmama, I know! "He was beauty to our eyes."

[Baha'iMama]

I loathe Junie B. Jones.

Some relatives sent us a box set of them but strangely they disappeared shortly thereafter.

Unlike some other mamas here, I am strongly pro-censorship with my kids. I feel there are only these first short years during which to build a strong character foundation. I think what children are exposed to affects their spirits. They are like sponges and absorb whatever they come in contact with.

Later on, sure, they can read whatever they want... when they've established a good strong character of their own, and when I no longer have to deal with the consequences!

[Alyantavid]

Huh. Well we use books (and tv and movies and so on) as teaching opportunities. I read Junie B every morning to my son while waiting for the bus. He'd be appalled at something she did or said and we'd talk about it.

I don't see any reason to control what my son is reading. I want him to read and to talk about things with me. Junie B's great for that. As are many other books that we read.

[friendtoall]

Originally Posted by Baha'iMama

I loathe Junie B. Jones.

Some relatives sent us a box set of them but strangely they disappeared shortly thereafter.

Unlike some other mamas here, I am strongly pro-censorship with my kids. I feel there are only these first short years during which to build a strong character foundation. I think what children are exposed to affects their spirits. They are like sponges and absorb whatever they come in contact with.

Later on, sure, they can read whatever they want... when they've established a good strong character of their own, and when I no longer have to deal with the consequences!

I agree - young children are the definition of innocence. I don't want them experimenting with "shut up", which until Junie B., my kids had never heard before.

[Baha'iMama]

Originally Posted by Alyantavid

Huh. Well we use books (and tv and movies and so on) as teaching opportunities. I read Junie B every morning to my son while waiting for the bus. He'd be appalled at something she did or said and we'd talk about it.

I don't see any reason to control what my son is reading. I want him to read and to talk about things with me. Junie B's great for that. As are many other books that we read.

My daughter is pretty hard to appall. She is very stoic, very matter-of-fact and accepting, and also rather impressionable (we have had to nip-in-the-bud several bad habits picked up from playmates). So, although it sounds like uncensored exposure may work in your son's case, it's not right for us.

We do, of course, read things which contain negative behaviors and events, but I try to make sure they are clearly presented as such, and that the main protagonist of the book is a positive role model rather than the one being "bad". These provide plenty of opportunity for discussion, and I think it makes things less ambiguous to a child's trusting mind (at least a child like dd).

Maybe ds will be different; if so, we'll modify our approach accordingly. Though I still don't think we'll be getting any Junie B. when there are so many other great books to choose from!