junie B. jones books

[jannan]

so, i've been reading themto my class for the past week and they love them! they can't wait for large group time to start and they also like predicting what junie will do next.

my question is what do you guys think of the character of Junie B. Jones? she sounds like she has add and some serious impulse issues and i'm wondering how good that is.

[MamaBug]

I have never read these books but my neighbors son loves them. I think I read another thread where these books were mentioned and someone said that they didn't like them. Let me see if I can find it and I will post it for you... ok here it is just scroll down and the reference is made to it there http://mothering.com/discussions/sho...hreadid=108027

HTH personally anthing that gets kids exctied about reading can't be half bad~

[arthead]

My kindergarten-teaching mom got a few of those books for my 6yo neice recently. My neice loves them & was reading me a few of the books one day & my initial thoughts were that Junie has a bit of an attitude & isn't all that creative of a child. But, she is an honest little girl & is inquisitive & asks about things that she thinks are wrong & tries to make them right.

Overall, I'm just happy for my neice's love of reading. She can relate to Junie b'c they're the same age. I remember liking the stories written in the first person, who were around my age (at various ages). Ultimately I feel that kids will learn more form the living examples they are given rather then a book character. Plus, your discussion group is a GREAT thing for them to do!

[teachma]

My second grade students love them too. They are actually deceptively challenging to read because Junie uses many "words" that aren't actual words, so the kids need to really make use of their phonics skills to sound out these non-words correctly. The issue I have is that some children think the words Junie uses are real, when they are actually mispronunciations of real words, so it sometimes misleads children who then start using these words in their speech and writing. But on the whole, they are fun.

[jannan]

so i did read the thread and some responses were not very possitive. i see junie as a very intense child who wants the classroom to focus on her. can you imagine her homeschooled? but i also see the adults dealing with her very patiently, especially her teacher, but not so much her mother. as far a the writing style of the author, i like the way she uses the grammar of a first grader.

our scholastic book order came and the kids were begging me for junie B. jones books.

[momlovesmusic]

when I first started reading junie b to my dd, I had some concerns too, but I think it's good to see another child acting like she often does or wants to. It seems to feed a need in her. She was a reluctant reader, but now is a voracious one and i think her love of jb is a major contributer.

[TiredX2]

I personally *hate* the grammar of them (DD does *not* talk like that IRL). Accd to a good friend, you can pick and choose and get some good ones, but there are some that are pretty bad, too. DD has like 5-6 of them (we get a *lot* of Scholastic books around here!) but she is more into Magic Tree House (which I 100% love)!

Kay

[Irishmommy]

When my dd1 got into them, I was concerned about the grammar and fake words. I got her to read some to me and had her point out al the "errors". She was almost flawless, so I let her continue reading them. She's nine now, and has grown out of them.

[EFmom]

I think little junie is a total brat, and the language and the grammar are atrocious. That said, I have no problem with my daughter reading them. I'm of the belief that reading just about anything is never wasted time.

We talk about the characters, how they act and the language they use and it doesn't seem to have a negative impact on dd.

[spero]

My 6-yr old DS loves Junie B. Jones! His 10-yr old sister reads the books to him, and points out all Junie's inappropriate behaviors.

[lilyka]

We love them around here. I think they are hysterical. No worse than Ramona (which I grew up on) The bad grammer does bother me but at the same time makes them so fun to read. My dd got the "personal Beeswax journal" for Christmas and is haveing a great time with it. I thihnk they are just fun and I am no more worried about my children picking up Junie Bs bad habits from reading a book than I am about her casting spells on her friends after reading Harry potter.

[Charles Baudelaire]

Well, since you asked, I have a very strong objection to the Junie B. Jones books.

1. Junie is an unmitigated brat whose rudeness and insensitivity to other people apparently meet with few or no consequences by the authority-figure characters in the book. This conveys to kids the message that this behavior is acceptable -- JBJ is the main character and normally a main character is where we as readers sympathize.

Example: In the first book, the teacher -- oh, horrors -- has the temerity to forget the "B" and addresses Junie as "Junie Jones." Junie then SCREAMS, "EVERYONE FORGETS MY 'B'..." and neither the teacher nor her mother correct her behavior.

Sorry, but if she were my daughter, she would be apologizing so fast...I don't condone being impolite and insensitive because I think we have enough of that in the world without adding to it.

2. The grammar and spelling are atrocious. Gee, if you've ever wondered why kids don't speak or write well, this is one among many reasons. How is a kid supposed to know what's correct and what's not?

3. I don't agree with the logic that says, "Well, at least they're reading, so it must be good." This is like saying, "Well, at least they're eating, so it must be good."

In short, this is the McDonald's Happy Meal of children's literature.

Thanks for letting me vent. I think I'll stick to stuff that my child likes AND which teach her excellent language and values.

Here's a list of WAY better books than Junie Jones, in my opinion:

1. Frances Hodgson Burnett, A Little Princess
2. F.H. Burnett, The Secret Garden
3. Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
4. Johanna Spyri, Heidi
5. Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist
6. Dickens, Great Expectations
7. Dickens, A Christmas Carol
8. Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream
9. Mary Pope Osborne, Tales from the Odyssey
10. Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass


Just a thought.

[Irishmommy]

Charles, just for the record, my dd has also read most of your list.

[journeymom]

In short, this is the McDonald's Happy Meal of children's literature.

:LOL :LOL I never thought of it that way.

Dd read quite a few of them when she was in 1st and 2nd grade. She's in 3ed now and doesn't read them anymore.

I also object to the cutsie bad grammar. But I believe dd had already learned the vast majority of the basic, conversational English before 1st grade. And she learned it from us, her parents. Our grammar is fine (far from perfect!).

Dd enjoyed reading the JBJ's books because they were her first "chapter" books. It made her feel accomplished.

Charles, of your list, I have read "The Secret Garden" to dd. Some on your list I wouldn't expect her to read to herself yet.

However, it's these kinds of books that stretch kids' minds and help their vocabulary to grow.

[arthead]

Yes, my niece also read some of the books on Charles' list... which she equally enjoys. Charles' post has made me think a bit deeper on these books (& any similar she may receive)...

Books which relate directly to my niece's age group (& written in the first person narr child-style) are beneficial as well, as they allow me/an adult to be with her in a normal, realistic "playground" situation (although hypothetical) & to help her make the "right" decisions regarding behavior, attitude, etc. I feel it is very important to introduce many types of reading to kids... even comics, in limited amounts. That said, I don't really include ALL reading material in that general statement, of course. I wouldn't let her read adult-situation books for example. As long as she is realizing that Junie makes errors in attitude & grammar & enjoys reading the books & finding the flaws, what's the harm really? I don't see the connection with stuffing junky food in her face, with the book, she's learning, which can't be compared to eating useless food. These aren't useless-knowledge books as long as you help the child realize correct & incorrect attitude & grammar. (does that make sense with what you were saying Charles? - trying to grasp your food-book statement)

I'd still recommend the books, but initially, I didn't care for them at all... thanks for helping me understand where my mom may have been coming from (I didn't buy them but felt we had to read them at least once since they were a gift from her teacher-gramma, respect). Just my deeper thoughts on this subject

[Queen Gwen]

Okay, allow me to hijack this thread a moment with a grammar question...

We just finished A Little Princess today -- I've been reading it aloud to dds ages 8 and 4. Often characters make statements such as, "If I lived in a castle and Ermengarde was the lady of another castle...." Wouldn't this be subjunctive, and therefore better stated as, "If I lived in a castle and Ermengarde *were* the lady of another castle...."? In a book so very full of "supposings" there was amazingly little use of subjunctive, either in characters' speeches or in the author's descriptive passages. Or am I totally offbase as to what constitutes subjunctive tense?

ETA -- Having spent an amazing amount of time over the past week explaining to my 4yo the duties of a scullery maid, I really do think there's something to be said for contemporary lit. -- at least she'd understand the social milieu presented!

[TiredX2]

Charles---

I agree with you at least most of the way, except:

Here's a list of WAY better books than Junie Jones, in my opinion:

Those books are also, generally, at a much higher reading level, IMO (and longer to boot). How about some easier suggestions?

[idaismyname]

Not a big Junie B. Jones fan

My second grader and I read several of them last year and we were not impressed. I do think she's bratty and the books were not very exciting to her. We did discuss the behavior issues in it.

My daughter really enjoys the Magic Tree house books. They are very well written and she dives right into them.

While I don't think Junie B. is awful or evil - I was very happy when my daughter didn't find them inviting.

[lilyka]

The difference between the junie B jones books and the ones Charles Baudelaire recommend is that my dd can't even come close to readin those and barley follows when I read them too her. I have trouble reading Little Women to her and still have to explain the grammer (while it was proper, it is certainly outdated) The junie B books are short, have large print, are about topics that ntrest her and short and sweet. Just right for a beginner reader. I would equate them with fluff magazines. Besides, not everything we read needs to be educational. I read many boks just for fun.

[Sofiamomma]

I also have a lot of objections to them, particularly the cutsie way she talks. That said, though, my dd enjoys them very much. She also loved all the Ramona books. I think it gives her some relief that there is a child out there that is struggling to make sense of how and why grown ups want her to behave. Many of you would consider my dd to be a "brat." It is my biggest challenge to not take her behavior personally and to not let others judgement of my parenting get to me. She is very spirited and being socially appropriate is not high on her priority list. She's wonderful, but she's a handful. Grownups who think kids should be seen and not heard, always polite, quiet, etc. do not like her. Others find her absolutely delightful. I am happy she relates to these characters and feels better about herself as a result. I plan on introducing her to Pippi next. . . bwahahahaha!!