Comments on: Junie B. Jones, Sophie Rae, and the Naughty Easter Bunny

By: Mary

Mary — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 01:37:57 +0000

Hi, I just came across your blog and love it. I also have a 5 year old daughter with DS. I would read the books to Sophie just the way you did for your older daughter, correcting the grammar as you go. As for the shoes with the orthotics, I would buy a pair of converse all star high tops to go over the top–our orthotics have enough support that our pt said the shoes themselves don’t really matter. We get so many comments about the high tops that everyone thinks my Anna is the coolest kid ever. You can get toddler sizes at zappos.com

By: maya

maya — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 17:20:47 +0000

Probably not a real shocker here, but I love the Frances books. I think they might be my favorite kid series. Birthday and Bread and Jam are the best. I can’t wait to share them with my kids. They don’t have a choice!
I remember as a kid not even noticing they were badgers. I thought Frances was a human.

By: elewinnek

elewinnek — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 03:22:33 +0000

I agree with Sari; Frances is wonderful. My mother read those books to me, and my mother also once embarrassed me by writing a letter to Children’s Television Workshop to complain about Cookie Monster’s grammar. “Me want cookies,” indeed. I don’t think Cookie Monster says that anymore. He’s been cleaned up, like the rest of Sesame Street, and now I think he longs for carrots as well as cookies — but the old CookieM didn’t do much harm, did he?

When I was six or seven, I resisted learning to read, so the school had me tested for retardation. One of my mother’s friends told her, “Don’t worry, no one can grow up in your house without reading.” That house was so filled with books and readers that it was bound to seep in to me, and it did. By a similar logic, I think no one could grow up in my mother’s house without good grammar. And I am pretty sure that the same thing is true of your house — but then again, DS does twist things up.

Still, I think Junie B. sounds like a contemporary Cookie Monster who will be balanced out by the many counter-examples in Sophie’s life. I’d be more concerned with books that demonstrate greed or meanness or sneakiness than books that simply say ain’t.

By: Rosalie

Rosalie — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 03:06:57 +0000

You must get Junie B booka on CD (Tempe Library has them)…it’s how I distracted Noah from getting carsick for two years in preschool. Something less offensive about the incorrect grammar when it’s spoken.

By: Jen

Jen — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:03:25 +0000

I haven’t read any of the Junie books, but OMG do I love Frances. I wanted to BE her when I was little. Remember the scene in A Baby Sister for Frances when she runs away to the dining room table with her backpack full of prunes and chocolate sandwich cookies? I wanted to do that so badly. Alas, my mom never bought prunes.

And you are so right about the lunches in Bread and Jam…I get hungry every time we read that one.

FYI…found you through Maya.

By: Leah

Leah — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 20:17:52 +0000

I had a Bread and Jam for Frances recording when I was little and I still read it with the voice inflection from the record I had. I loved it.

By: Ecki

Ecki — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 17:52:50 +0000

My 7 year old LOVES those Junie B. books. At least she’s reading instead of watching TV!!

By: sari

sari — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 15:37:05 +0000

Amy, I knew right away when we met we’d be friends and this post just reinforces it…not for the Junie B. stuff (I’ll admit, I’m not really a Junie fan) but for FRANCES!

I LOVE Frances.

When my oldest was young, my mom gave him A Bargain for Frances and it was like the heavens parted and lightning came down from the sky and zapped me. HOW could I have forgotten Frances from when I was young? How? I remembered the delicate wonderful blue china cups. I remembered not liking Thelma for her sneakiness. I remembered my joy that Frances was so smart and figured out how to (nicely) get her tea set back.

Oh, I love her.

That is all I have to say. Happy Easter.

PS Good luck with the gum. Watch her – my middle one is fond of making “gum necklaces” which are hard to remove.

By: starrlife

starrlife — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 11:57:46 +0000

I think she is more into emulating her sis than Junie B! Long before my daughter learned to read she loved carrying all manner of books around. She just loves Hannah Montana and look at her manners! Yikes. Does she really have to wear “ugly” sneaks? Mine wears New Balance sneakers because of her heel cups and because school for me, here in the country, is not about fashion but about hard work and play. I love my sneaks. She also has some shoes that have enough of a heel depth to allow for the heel cups. Land’s End has some water shoes that look like they might work too!