Jumping Jenny

Pryor, Bonnie

ISBN 10: 0688096840 ISBN 13: 9780688096847

Publisher: William Morrow & Co, 1809

Synopsis

Jenny loves to draw pictures and is very interested in reading, but what she really wants is a best friend with whom she can play, and kindergarten seems to be the perfect place to find one.

About this title

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-4-- An energetic five-year-old is about to start kindergarten. She has a hectic, loving family life in which she is constantly trying to keep up with her usually tolerant older sister. She is often undone by her own energy and enthusiasm and has a penchant for working out unique explanations for things she doesn't understand. Sound like Cleary's Ramona (Morrow)? No, this is Jenny Bingham--and unlike Ramona, she never comes alive and her voice never really comes through. Readers may believe the situations and characters are possible, but the story is just told, and never blossoms. There are reasons to recommend the book: the mother is going back to school and the father seems to manage his home office and nutritious meals with elan; there are several good role models; the children state and resolve feelings and misunderstandings openly. It's not a bad book, just ordinary, with an episodic story line and generic dialogue. It certainly won't engage the interest of children at the third or fourth grade reading level. Ramona and Lowry's ``Sam'' (Houghton) manage to leap the age barrier through sheer force of personality. Pryor's is a sensible, inoffensive work, but it's not a contender. --Sally T. Margolis, Park Ridge Public Library,
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Jenny's first weeks of kindergarten are full of challenges and disappointments. Her mother returns to nursing school and her father opens a part-time office at home; lively Jenny finds it hard to entertain herself while they're busy. Pleased at being termed ``rambunctious,'' she accepts her parents' offer of a gymnastics class, where an understanding teacher helps her overcome her reluctance to participate. She loses a tooth, ties her shoes, joins the first graders for reading, and finds a best friend, as she had eagerly anticipated. Then she's felled by chicken pox, just before a class trip and her birthday, but family and friends rally round for some satisfying surprises. A warm, humorous look at a delightful child who meets life head-on, occasionally with an Amelia Bedelia tilt; the supporting cast is also enjoyable. Pryor has a gift for relating an upbeat, credible story. Let's hope the intended audience is willing to read about a kindergartner. Illustrations not seen. (Fiction. 7- 11) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Edition details

• Publisher: William Morrow & Co
• Publication date: 1809
• ISBN 10: 0688096840
• ISBN 13: 9780688096847
• Binding: Library Binding
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 170
• Illustrator: Riggio Anita