In front of a group of a few hundred kids, Junie B. came out and shared treasures from her Big Pink Trunk of Junk. She was a little nervous at first, but then her bus driver, Mr. Woo, convinced her that the kids were all friendly and that they’d be getting along in no time at all. She warmed up to all of her new friends very quickly and shared stories and costumes and instruments from many of the books written about her by author Barbara Park. She was funny, charming, and the kids absolutely loved her! Well, all but that little one who was afraid of the cymbals. But all the rest, I’m sure!

And after her performance, she stayed around to meet each of the kids and to put a stamp into each of their books! (There were SO MANY kids that they did limit it to 4 books per person.)

Click here to see if Junie B. is coming to a location near you. Then, follow the jump to see more of our day with Junie B.!!!

Thanks, Junie B.!!!!

Post from: Play Library

One of our favorite characters to read about is Junie B. Jones. My daughter loves to read about all of Junie B.’s antics, her relationships with other kids, her new experiences, her disappointments, and her victories. I have a special “Junie B. Jones” voice I use when she’s speaking, but my daughter always wants to read everything WRITTEN IN CAPITALS (BECAUSE WHEN JUNIE B. IS VERY EXCITED, SHE OFTEN SPEAKS IN CAPITALS).

Author Barbara Park gets some criticism (scroll down to the customer reviews) for Junie B.’s choices of words (e.g. “I don’t think I’m going to like this dumb baby.”) and incorrect grammar (e.g. “So she just holded my hand.”), but I disagree with them being a definitive deterrent from reading these entertaining stories. Junie B. is a bit over the top, but she brings a ton of humor to our reading. She is honest (a quality we all say we admire), cheeky, curious, and fun. She asks all the questions we wish we could, and verbalizes many of the thoughts we keep captive in our minds.

And when she does say the things I don’t want my kids to repeat, it’s a good opportunity for me to sit and explain to my kids why and how we choose the words we use. And as far as Junie B.’s grammar being less than perfect? Well, I’d say that’s part of the reason she’s going to school. To learn how to speak good.

Quotes from Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business by Barbara Park, pgs. 10 & 11

Post from: Play Library