Barbara Park

When Junie B. Jones receives a mushy gushy "valentime" on Valentine's Day, she tries to find out who in her kindergarten class is her secret admirer. B&W illustrations.

Junie B. Jones and the Mushy Gushy Valentine

Sarah Sammis

Sometimes books just find me. It seems that the books that find me end up being the most enjoyable reads. My most recent read of a book like this is Junie B. Jones and the Mushy Gushy Valentime by Barbara Park. This one is a book that Sean picked out at the last BookCrossing meeting by pulling it off the Dublin Friends of the Library shelf.

The title and the cover illustration told me it would be a quick read but I had the feeling I wouldn't enjoy it. It just seemed too cute. I decided to give it a read when I was stuck on a much harder book and needed a little fluff for my brain. By the bottom of the first page, I was in love with the book: "A 'nouncement is the school word for listen to me... and I MEAN it."

Barbara Park clearly understands how kids that age (four to six) think. So many of things that Junie B. says and thinks are things that could have come out of Sean's mouth or the mouths of his friends. I was laughing on almost every page.

 As a parent of a child who is almost ready for kindergarten, I found this book about a Valentine's Day party very funny. Junie B's narration with all of the types of mistakes I've heard my son and his friends make made me laugh. The teacher's exasperation at some of the children's antics rings true too.

Junie B. Jones and the Mushy Gushy Valentine

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