July 27, 1992
One of the initial titles released under the First Stepping Stone imprint, chapter books aimed at newly independent readers and arranged in series, Park's ( Skinnybones ) jolly caper is the first installment to feature Junie B., a feisty almost-six-year-old who is not at all happy about riding the bus on the first day of kindergarten. In fact, she doesn't like a single thing about this vehicle: not the kids who get on it (``Loud kids. And some of them were the kind who look like meanies''); not the door (``If it closes on you by accident, it will cut you in half, and you will make a squishy sound''); and not the black smoke it emits (``It's called bus breath, I think''). Other equally candid, on-target perceptions fill Junie B.'s first-person narrative, which is peppered with reader-involving questions (``Only guess what?''; `` 'Cause guess why?'') that help to propel the story at a whiz-bang pace. When a classmate tells Junie B. that kids will pour chocolate milk on her head on the way home, the spunky child finds a way to avoid the dreaded bus. Park convinces beginning readers that Junie B.-- and reading--are lots of fun. Ages 6-9.
November 1, 1992
K-Gr 3 -Park is truly a funny writer. Although Junie B. is a kindergartner, she's sure to make middle graders laugh out loud when they read about her adventures on the first day of school. Even the most insecure readers will feel superior because they know so much more than she does. Brunkus's occasional black-and-white pencil illustrations are appealing and reinforce the mood of the text. Junie B. is a real character; she talks a lot, is funny without knowing it, and honest to a fault. This book will get lots of peer recommendations, and younger kids will enjoy listening to it when read aloud. It's a real hoot! -Gale W. Sherman, Pocatello Pub . Lib ., ID
December 1, 1992
Gr. 2-3. Park, one of the funniest writers around, usually reserves her talent for middle-graders. Now she brings her refreshing humor to the beginning chapter-book set. The perennial question, Will kids read about those younger than themselves? is enthusiastically answered in the affirmative in this case. It's hard for anyone to resist Junie B. A cross between Lily Tomlin's Edith Ann and Eloise, Junie B. (she insists on the B.) is on her way to kindergarten, but that doesn't mean she has to go gently into that abyss. In riotous first-person she describes how she learns the concept of school busing ("WHERE'S THE STUPID SMELLY BUS GOING TO?"), meets her new teacher and the principal ("The principal is a baldy"), and makes new friends ("That Jim, I hate"). To avoid riding the bus home on her first day, Junie B. hides out under the teacher's desk and has a very enjoyable time sticking gold stars on her forehead and writing with "Brand-new chalk that's not even out of its little box yet!" Fortunately for readers, Junie B. is found, paving the way for another book in the series. Pencil illustrations by Denise Brunkus add to the fun. ((Reviewed Dec. 1, 1992))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1992, American Library Association.)
January 1, 1992
Junie B. Jones is a likable character whose comic mishaps on her first day of school will elicit laughs from young readers. But the first-person narration by a kindergartner quickly becomes tedious, and the net result is more annoying than amusing.
(Copyright 1992 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)