Junie B. Is In the House

We have been ambushed. Our nightly reading ritual has been overrun by a precocious (my nice way of saying really annoying) little girl who goes by the name of Junie B. Jones. The B. is for Beatrice but she prefers just B. Isaac bought a Junie B. Jones book at the used book store the other day and then checked one out of the school library this week. After he reads to us, we now read 3-4 chapters detailing Junie B.'s latest adventure.

If you haven't had the pleasure of reading a Junie B. Jones book, I don't want to give away the surprise. All I will say is that the kids love her. Even the older students, boys and girls alike. Parents and teachers are bit a less enamored with her, especially when the children start talking like Junie B. and using words that adults usually prohibit. Nothing profane, of course, but words that cross a line to rudeness.

Isaac is just starting to be interested in listening to chapter books at night. Our ritual used to be 5 books at bed time. It morphed into him reading 1 or 2 and us reading 3 or 4. With the addition of chapter books to our repertoire, our ritual will change again. While I may not be in love with Junie B. Jones, I do like that Isaac wants to read, and has the attention span to follow, a longer story that is not fully illustrated. Easy chapter books like the Junie B. Jones series are good introductions to longer books, most of which will be more pleasing to my literary palate.