Junie B. Jones is (almost) a Flower Girl

The Junie B. Jones series by Barbara Park and illustrated by Denise Brunkus provides engaging plots in a transitional chapter book format. Not surprisingly, Junie B. Jones is (almost) a Flower Girl starts with the same paragraph as every other Junie B. book, "My name is Junie B. Jones. The B stands for Beatrice..." (p. 1). While as an adult (and probably for some kids), the introduction is repetitive and not the greatest hook, for others it provides a comfortable start as they are transitioning from beginning picture books.

In this book, Junie B. starts out dismayed that her "boyfriend" Ricardo has decided that they should just be friends after she laid out the rules that as her boyfriend, he could not chase others at recess. Her parents, of course, were not very sympathetic about her plight, telling her that she was much too young to have a boyfriend and that it was much better at her age to be footloose and fancy free.

There is a glimmer of hope to distract Junie B. from the disappointment. Her aunt is getting married and her two best friends have told her all about being flower girls. Only, Junie B. learns that it will not necessarily end up the way she hopes. Nonetheless, she finds happiness in the book and comes to her own realization about the "true" meaning of her parents words when she least expects it.

With her funny antics, parents can notice aspects of Junie B. in kids her age, probably in a way that some kids miss. Yet, they are able to enjoy the voice of a strong-willed character about their age. With many books in the series, as well as the Junie B., First Grader series, readers who enjoy the Junie B. books have plenty of books to read in order to practice at a comfortable level until they are ready to move on to more complicated texts. Then they can still enjoy books in the series from time to time as they are looking for a quick, easy read.