Why do school library stock Junie B. Jones books?

Tiffany - posted on 03/24/2013

Reading can also be used for just plain enjoyment. I think sometimes we forget that

Marcella - posted on 12/31/2012

I just received a volume of the books and my five year old sees the humor in the them along with the incorrect grammar. Every time she comes across a misspelled word or incorrect sentence structure, she points it out to me and laughs about it; I explained to her that the author of the book wrote it in the voice of a kindergartner. I looked online to find out the indented reader for the series and it said for six year olds and older. I think the books are intended for children who are already good readers with an understanding of grammer and are able to spell.

Lakayisha - posted on 09/26/2012

june b. jone and the stamp smale

bus me 10 year old

iget lots of them

Gina - posted on 09/21/2011

I don't like the language in this book "stupid" or "moron" for example. Why encourage this language by reading books that print this type of name-calling. I know some people may think it's a way to teach children how NOT to behave and speak to others but I believe there are many more books out there that can teach the same lesson without the disrespectful talk.

Daisy - posted on 03/29/2009

I just read it the gramatically correct way when we're reading it together.  Or if it's an important part of the story and she gets corrected by her friends such as saying "valentime" instead of "valentine" we just discuss it.  Also - when she is naughty ... we discuss that too!

Dana - posted on 03/29/2009

If you are like many parents, you probably think the importance of reading skills is only evident in language arts. This couldn’t be further from the truth! Of course, your child does need to have adequate reading skills to do well in language arts, but the importance of reading skills is noticeable in other subject areas, as well.

Tara - posted on 03/29/2009

How nice that people can post here without being slammed...even if they have different opinions! :)

Diane - posted on 03/29/2009

My twins loved those books when they were 6-7 yrs. old. I think part of the appeal was that they could relate to some of the things she went through as a kindergartner/1st grader, but Junie B. also did things that had my girls rolling around laughing.
Also, one of my girls hated reading so seeing her read anything was a big step. Now that she's in 3rd grade she absolutely loves reading (she can't stand Junie B. anymore) and her reading level and comprehension are at a middle school level. The speech problems that she had early on are a thing of the past. Junie B. certainly didn't make them worse.
I've also got a kindergartner and I won't stop her from reading these books. Those are just our family's opinions.

Amy - posted on 03/29/2009

Dawn, You might want to try the Magic TreeHouse series too.  

I have had 3 kids through speech therapy. The youngest is just starting now (he is 3 and nobody but me and his siblings understand him--and even that is tricky!) He is my most severe, my other 2, one spent 2 years in it and the other only one semester. My oldest talked well at 18 months--go figure!

Dawn - posted on 03/28/2009

I am so glad I read this post. I was filling out a book order for my son, and there is a collection of Junie B. Jones books that he wants, along with the Magic School Bus. I've never read Junie B. Jones books, so I didn't know about the grammar. My son had his tongue clipped 13 months ago, he is now 7, and is going through speech therapy. He struggles to read and spell, so I don't want to introduce inappropriate grammar to him. I know he needs things that are fun, so we will stick to the Magic School Bus for now. I will find out what other series they read from his teacher. Thanks.

Tara - posted on 03/28/2009

I agree with you, Noeleen. As a speech-language pathologist in an elementary school, I find the grammar in the Junie B. books to be appalling. Junie is supposed to be six years old and most six year olds don't yet use irregular past tense verbs (ran, held, etc.) correctly, but I think it's irresponsible to print books with incorrect grammar. I see Melanie's point, but there are plenty of other great books out there that can stimulate your daughter's interest in reading without exposing her to bad language structure.

Aloha!

Cathy - posted on 03/27/2009

Quoting Melanie:

My sons enjoyed those books when they were young.  For me, I think at that age it's more important that they find the book entertaining, then learn anything from it.  The first step in reading for entertainment, not because you have to, is finding something you genuinely enjoy.  I think small kids can relate to Junie B. because she speaks like a child. 

I would rather read than do anything else, and the books that put me on that path were The Baby-sitters Club series.  They didn't teach me anything, but I discovered through them that reading could be fun, not just something you had to do in school.  I think any books that get a child interested in reading are great, regardless of how educational they are.

I totally agree with you, Melanie.  My son is in grade 2, and he loves the Junie B. Jones books.  He reads them out loud and we laugh and laugh at all the silly expressions and the 'incorrect grammar' that she uses.  It is so important that kids enjoy what they're reading, as this encourages them to keep reading. 

Summer - posted on 03/27/2009

IT DRIVES ME NUTS READING THEM BUT MY KIDS HAVE ALWAYS REALLY LIKED THEM. I JUST MADE A POINT TO SAY SOMETHING " THAT'S SILLY, THATS NOT THE WAY WE SAY IT.

Noeleen - posted on 03/27/2009

Thanks Amy, I totally agree.

Amy - posted on 03/26/2009

Noeleen, I have to say I agree with you. My daughter was reading them and she would correct the book while she read. She has enough trouble with LA in school so we cut them out. Also they use words that my kids aren't allowed to say (darn, stupid, ect)

Melanie - posted on 03/26/2009

My sons enjoyed those books when they were young.  For me, I think at that age it's more important that they find the book entertaining, then learn anything from it.  The first step in reading for entertainment, not because you have to, is finding something you genuinely enjoy.  I think small kids can relate to Junie B. because she speaks like a child. 

I would rather read than do anything else, and the books that put me on that path were The Baby-sitters Club series.  They didn't teach me anything, but I discovered through them that reading could be fun, not just something you had to do in school.  I think any books that get a child interested in reading are great, regardless of how educational they are.