April Book Review: Junie B, First Grader: Dumb Bunny

Chloe's mom is so embarrassing.

April's Mommy and Me Book Club pick is Junie B., First Grader: Dumb Bunny by Barbara Park.  It's the 27th (!) book in the Junie B. Jones series.  The book is Easter themed, but we didn't have time to do something Easter-y for our book club meeting.  Thank you, Chick-fil-a for your delicious chicken and your Mom and Me Night. 

 

Junie B., First Grader: Dumb Bunny is the story of Junie B. Jones and her class' Easter egg hunt at her classmate Lucille's house.  Whomever finds the golden egg gets a playdate to swim in Lucille's indoor heated pool.  As the back cover says, "Will Junie B. end up with egg on her face?  Or will the day deliver some 'un-egg-spected' surprises?"  [Pause for groan.] 

My kids have been reading Junie B. Jones books for years, but I had never read one, myself.  (During our chat, Chloe said she's been reading them since she was little.  Cutie pie.)  They are hilarious!  I was hooked from the beginning as I read Junie B.'s journal entry:

  I am not allowed to say dumb bunny!  On account of my teacher herd heard me call May that name on the playground.  And he said for me to knock it off.
  Only here is something I just thought of.
  Even if I can't say dumb bunny out loud.  I can still think it inside my head. 'Cause heads are silent.  Which is what I like about heads.

Junie B. has purple glasses and is making this face on the cover of Dumb Bunny.

Here is Chloe's review of the book [Spoiler Alert]:
I like the part after she won the Jelly bean game.  She got a pink bunny costume.  She looked relly funny.  I have other favorite Junie B. Jones books too.

I was happy to have the opportunity to teach Chloe how to get out of a limo.  Apparently that's something that needs to be taught.

Chloe's teacher likes to read the class Junie B. Jones books, especially before holidays because many of the books are holiday themed.  Santa's elves were not aware that Chloe's first grade teacher had already read the class Dumb Bunny.  I asked Chloe if it was boring reading a book that she'd already heard before, but she said she really liked it.  She said she enjoyed it just as much and understood the story even more.  I think we all learned a good lesson today, didn't we?

I would definitely recommend these books for young readers who are just getting started with chapter books.  Harrison loved these books when he was in first grade and told Chloe that she HAD to read them when she first started reading.  It's been hard for me to find books about girls that my boy will read.  Way to go, Junie B.!

We both loved the book and thought it was really funny, but it didn't inspire a whole lot of discussion.  We did talk about whether it was okay to think unkind thoughts about someone, as long as you didn't say it outloud.  I won't tell you which side of the argument Chloe was on.

 

Thanks, again, Chick-fil-a for the manicure, the limo ride around the parking lot, the makeup, the up-do, the milkshake, and the frame for a picture of the good times.  If you "like" your local Chick-fil-a on Facebook, they will tell you about their upcoming free events like this.  Totally worth it.