Rating: 
Summary: Lighten Up and Enjoy!
Review: I am a kindergarten teacher and the parent of two girls, ages 5 and 19 months. I set very high standards of behavior for my own girls and my students. And, as Junie B would say "guess what?" I LOVE the Junie B books! My students and my little girl were all very capable of reccognizing that Junie B's behavior and grammar were totally outrageous, not necessarily appropriate, and HYSTERICALLY funny! When I read them aloud I hear "she's REALLY bad" through the giggles, then they tell me what the right thing to do would have been. In Junie B children see a fictional character who gets away with things they know they never could. I've not had child yet call 911 because she couldn't get into the bathroom, tell the principal "my mother says never to call her again", or pull any of the stunts that Junie B pulls--they all know better, but that doesn't stop them from enjoying the antics of this kindergartener. To those who have a problem with Junie B, I say lighten up and don't take life so seriously!
Rating:
Summary: Junie B. Jones Is Pure Fun!
Review: It is a delight to read these hilarious laugh-aloud stories of Junie B. Jones and her all too normal kindergarten life.
Children will love this... And so will the young at heart adults out there!
Creative, original, fun, realistic... Barbara Parks is great at bringing a little girl to life.
The stories are told from the view of kindergarten girl Junie B. Jones, a lovable, funny character with a great voice that truly comes from the heart of a child. This outspoken, very true child will make you laugh---its inevitable!
Junie B. Jones is a wonderful character that children can really relate to... And people everywhere will love reading Junie B.'s tales!
Writen with genuine kid spirit, from a kid's point of view and with a wonderful, laughable vocabulary... These books really are remarkable!
Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: OUTSTANDING Book Series
Review: Junie B. books have propelled my 6 year old daughter into the wonderful world of reading chapter books on her own. She loves them so much that she can't put them down, and she recently started a Junie B. "library" collection. In her words: "I love Barbara Park (the author). She's SO good at writting the way kids talk and think. Barbara Park and Junie B. rock."As a parent, I was skeptical at first. About a year ago, a neighbor (who is very heavy-hearted and serious about life) said she didn't like the books because she thought Junie B. had too much of an attitude. She loaned us one (The Stinky Smelly Bus) so that I could see for myself. I was hesitent, but read the book to my daughter. In summary, although Junie B. is far from perfect, she is surrounded by very clever, compassionate adults, she always learns from her mistakes, and she has a big heart. Additionally, the interest in my daughter's eyes and the big belly laughs she let out during the reading convinced me to buy a second book in the series. I'm now a full force supporter of Junie B., and I enjoy seeing my daughter trade the various books in the series with her friends at school. Junie B. Jones books are their (and my) FAVORITE BY FAR! Thank you Barbara Park for lighting up my daughter's reading world and keeping it fun and interesting!!! A final note: I do NOT recommend these books for children under six; they may misinterpret the wonderful messages Barbara Park is conveying, and focus only on Junie B.'s "spirited" personality (just as some of the other reviewers here have done!).
Rating: 
Summary: What's with the grammar?
Review: I've read these books many times to my son who just turned six years old, and we're anxiously awaiting Junie B's experience as a first grader. Junie B. is a somewhat sassy, very entertaining little girl who copes with a variety of problems and issues typical Kindergarteners face each day. These are charming little stories, with cute illustrations, and Junie B. is clearly loved by her parents and has plenty of friends. My son pays close attention to these stories, and whenever my wife and I say, "We'll see" to him, he says, "We'll see is another word for no," which is a common Junie B. saying. But I have one concern, and I've docked a star from the rating because of it: Barbara Park's mode of narrating through Junie B. has her using an abundance of incorrect verb tenses (i.e. "we never had much guests" and "so she just holded my hand.") As a result, since our son is just beginning to learn to read and acquire a basic command of the language, we're constantly having to correct the incorrect word usages he's picked up from these books. It's charming in print, but not nearly as much when your youngster starts picking that stuff up.
Rating:
Summary: AN EDUCATION STUDENT FROM INDIANA
Review: I have read the reviews, and then proceeded to read the numerous books about Junie B. Jones. I have had numerous education classes on teaching reading. I fell in love with Junie B. She is 6 years old. How do 6 years old talk?? They use 100% correct grammar?? I am 22 years old, and even I don't se 100% correct grammar; nor if you anaylsis yourself, I'm sure you may realize, HEY me either. Granted when I read the first book of Junie, I was like HOLD up.. was that a mis-print?? But to be honest, take any 6 year old, that is the way they talk. Lots of schools use these books because it is on the child's ability level in reading. Children enjoy reading, children enjoy humor-- this promotes the love for literacy. Barbara Park, provides a read ablility level for many students in schools today. Some who are in the 6th grade level still only read at a 2nd grade level. Some have had bad experiences with reading-- they hate reading. This is absolutely horrible. Children should love to read; in life, reading is required in practically everything-- and its important to bestill upon all children that reading is FUN-- and they can all be successful too, although behind in reading levels. The worst thing as a "soon to be teacher" is to know that there will be children out there that will have no desire to read. Number one, because they can't; number two, because they find no interest in the materials they are being forced to read. Barbara Park is an excellent author; she really makes the children understand how Junie B. feels-- and as far as the grammar, granted it caught me off guard as well the first time, but you can use this book to kill lots of birds with one stone. The book provides an opportunity for students to be successful readers, become fluent in reading, have fun doing so, and it is important as a parent or teacher to talk with your child about reading. When this communication is used, talk about how when writing or talking, we have better ways of expressing ourselves. Make sure to address that Junie B. is 6 years old, and as she gets older much like the child, her grammar will increase to that of the social norm of "correct grammar." But until she reaches that stage of her educational career, I would suggest that we allow students to read these books, they offer material that the child can relate to and be successful at. You might even learn a thing or two from Junie-- so sit back and read the lesson Junie learns in all her books. Because if you fully read, she may do mischievous acts, however a valuable lesson is gained at the end of every book that talks about why she should not have acted the way she did.
With that being said, get to reading, and allow children to grow with Junie B. Jones.
Rating:
Summary: We're Addicted!
Review: As a literary agent who represents children's and young adult books, I am always on the prowl for great stories. And did I ever find them with the Junie B. books. My five-year-old daughter is just beginning to read, and we have spent endless hours enjoying the Junie B. series. As parents, it's our job to use books as a teaching tool. As we're reading the books, I'll stop mid-chapter and ask my daughter what's happening at that particular moment in the story. Her retention and comprehension level is amazing with these stories. And, we talk about why Junie B. may be doing an inappropriate behavior, and we chat about what she would do in situations similar to Junie B. To me, there is nothing better than to discuss a great book with a child and to listen to their opinions and the Junie B. books are the best I've found yet.
Rating: 
Summary: Stupid and Dumb
Review: I should have read all of the reviews before ordering this set. We are a very laid back family, but I wince while reading this to my 3 1/2 year old who is generally very polite. She agrees that Junie B. is rude, but I'm not sure she knows this is a joke. Even I am offended by these books.
In our house we are far from being sticklers with manners, however, I would be horrified to hear any of this language from another child, nevermind my own daughter.
The stories are cute, but would be MUCH better told with more appropriate language. The writing is actually very good--except for Junie B's rotten attitude and language. I actually think it's kind of funny, but not for a child who is still learning about the world.
Rating: 
Summary: Lighten UP!
Review: My son and I have been reading Junie B. for a year now. He loves her. He laughs at her grammar, laughs when she misbehaves. He has NOT, however, picked up her 'bad habits.' I've never had to stop and say "Now we don't say I hate you" or "We don't do things like that, right??" He already knows these things, and Junie B is not going to take that away from him. I think many of you are not giving your children enough credit. They're smarter than we think they are. They're not going to turn out to be a 'bad seed' simply because they read a Junie B. book. Sure they may be easily influenced, but that's OUR job to teach them right from wrong before they ever pick up a Junie B. book.
Rating:
Summary: Thank you Junie B. Jones
Review: My daughter is in the second grade and she is suposed to be in the third. I could not get her to read. She had no interest in it at all. She was well below her level and I was running out of options. Her grandmother bought her first Junie B. Jones book, and she hasn't stopped reading. She has moved on to other books and authors, but Junie B. Jones is still her favorite. I know the grammar isn't the best and some subject matter may not be what we want our children doing (hitting, calling people stupid, ect.), but at least she is reading. It's something they can relate to. These books are on their level. They should be tought that hitting and calling people stupid isn't appropriate, but it doesn't make it any less amusing for them. Let's face it we seee and hear things all the time that we wouldn't do, but most of us still laugh when it's done. My daughter is now reading above a third grade level, and this is in less than 6 monthes. I'm not saying it's all the books, But it has helped me to teach her to read by finding something that she can relate with. Junie B. Jones for the most part is the average first grader.
Rating: 
Summary: Anything's OK for our kids as long as it entertains?
Review: There's a difference between the narraration of a story and the dialog of the characters; a point that Barbara Park and her publishers seem to have missed completely. It's one thing for Junie B. to say something like "This book don't be no good." It's entirely another thing for the author's narration to be full of sentence fragments, wrong words, poor subject-verb agreement, etc. The truly horrifying thing is that these books are marketed to early readers who lack the foundation to view them in the right perspective.So, is anything OK for our kids as long as it entertains? Personally, I think our standards should be a little higher.
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