Junie B. Jones's First Boxed Set Ever! (Books 1-4) [BOX SET] (Paperback)

~ (Author), Denise Brunkus (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Outrageously sassy Junie B. Jones will make young kids crave their daily dose of reading. And with this handy four-volume boxed set, whether they start with Junie B. Jones and Some Sneaky Peeky Spying or Junie B. Jones and Her Big Fat Mouth, readers will laugh out loud at Junie B.'s hilarious mishaps and breathtakingly horrible grammar. Although the books should come with a caveat--Kids, don't try this syntax at home!--alert parents and teachers can use her malapropisms as learning opportunities for their impressionable charges. The set contains the first four titles in Barbara Park's extensive series (energetically illustrated by Denise Brunkus), including Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business and Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus. All are great for reading aloud. (Ages 5 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-This recording gives the full flavor of Barbara Park's delightful character, Junie B. The recording includes Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus (Random, 1992), Junie B. Jones and Her Big Fat Mouth (Random, 1993), Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business (Random, 1993), and Junie B. Jones and Some Sneaky Peeky Spying (Random, 1994).These stories take us inside the kindergartner's mind as we get to know the fears, frustrations and reasoning of an "almost 6" year old. Lana Quintal's narration is outstanding, and her voice is perfect as the sassy Junie B. Listeners are always aware which character is speaking by the seemingly effortless changes in modulation that Quintal uses. The Junie B. Jones series is wildly popular with the first through third grade set. This recorded book will delight students, and could be used to good advantage as a read-along for new or struggling readers. The quality of this recording is outstanding, and Quintal's narration provides sufficient interest to hold listeners attention to the end. An important addition to elementary school and public libraries serving the needs of emerging readers.
Jackie Ives, Corinth Elementary School, Shawnee Mission, KS
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Paperback
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers (May 29, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375813616
• ISBN-13: 978-0375813610
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (186 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #461 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

486 of 579 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars I'm sorry, but I just don't get it..., September 14, 2003

By	DTG "dtg9000" (New Haven, CT) - See all my reviews

This is apparently a minority opinion, but I think these books are horrible for children in the 1st or 2nd grade. Schools seem to love them - is there some special highly-technical educational matrix that this junk fits into that I need a degree in education to understand? My 1st-grade daughter reads everything, and on her second day her teacher recommended "The Dirty, Smelly Bus". We read it together, and I had to stop every other sentence and talk about how we don't call people stupid, how we don't judge others by the fact that you can beat them up, how you don't deal with being afraid by calling everyone names and hitting them, and how you don't go rummaging through other people's belongings and taking whatever you want. It's ridiculous. Not only is this behavior normal for the title character, there are no negative repercussions - it's considered "cute"!!. Perhaps the point is to get parents to spend time teaching kids how not to behave - but we get enough of that from real-life. There will be plenty of time for our children to become discriminating readers who know when they're reading a fun book - but at this age,at this stage, they are learning how to behave around others. When these books are encouraged by adults, a 1st-grader can't be blamed for thinking this is encouraged behavior. I think it's disingenuous for the literary review to flippantly say "don't try this grammar at home!" -- there's much worse in here than bad grammar for children of this age. Save the books for older readers, when they can actually understand the joke. Avoid the incorrect assumption that many adults (myself included at times)sometimes make that their young children have a higher level of sophistication than they really do.

33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Give Junie B. a Break, April 18, 2005

By	Sara Czara - See all my reviews

Sometimes, my eight-year-old's dance teacher will repeat the mistakes that my daughter and the rest of her classmates make. When she does this, the girls all giggle. She looks so silly when she dances like that!

When my eight year old reads a Junie B. Jones book, much of her laughter comes from knowing that Junie B. does not know how to speak proper English. She sounds so silly when she talks like that!

I would not read this series to a 3-year-old who is just learning to form sentences. (Duh.) But it's time to take a chill pill about J.B.'s improper grammar and hijinks. My children (6 and 8 years old) read these books, and they are at the tops of their classes in reading. They understand grammar rules, and are excellent spellers. Doesn't it seem even slightly unrealistic that one book series will corrupt a child's speech and manners, when that child is also exposed to other good literature?
Reading is supposed to be fun. Exposing children to many different kinds of characters in literature will only benefit them.
These books are innocent. Junie B is not overly sexualized, like some of the TV characters aimed at our young children. She doesn't worship the devil. And she does visit the principal's office regularly for her bad behavior (contrary to the statement that Junie never faces consequences for bad behavior.)
If you are really concerned about your child adopting Junie B's behavior, read a book aloud with your child. When Junie does something wrong, point your thumbs down. When she does something right, point your thumbs upward. Guess what! You will be surprised at how often you can give a thumbs up to Junie... when you are looking for something good instead of something to complain about.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars OUTSTANDING Book Series, February 14, 2004

By A Customer

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!).