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A review by kimiloughlin
Jo Jo Makoons: The Used-To-Be Best Friend by Dawn Quigley
5.0
This early reader was so freaking adorable!! Jo Jo Makoons is a highly exuberant and self-assured girl who lives on an Ojibwe reservation with her mother and grandmother. She has her at home best friend, her cat Mimi, and her at-school best friend, Fern, but that's it (but she's fine with that). She goes to school and her extremely kind and open heart and though processes lead to some misconstrued lessons and interactions. Jo Jo soon learns that friends are all around her and she has more than she ever thought.
I love, love, love Jo Jo's innocence mixed with assuredness that rings so true for so many kids. From her mis-rhyming of touch to couch (even though they work in her head) to her wrong answer to a math problem because it lead to unfairness and she couldn't comprehend why that would be the right answer. It was so cute how she saw glimmers of friendship from many people in her class before realizing that they all wanted to be her friend by the end and she never even noticed. Quigley also sprinkles tidbits about the Ojibwe way of life throughout the book including words and pronunciations in the Michef language (a combo of Cree, French, and Ojibwe).
Jo Jo Makoons is the newest bubbly character to reach early readers and I am SO excited that this is the first in a series! It will explode smiles and giggles from kids, I couldn't recommend it highly enough.
I love, love, love Jo Jo's innocence mixed with assuredness that rings so true for so many kids. From her mis-rhyming of touch to couch (even though they work in her head) to her wrong answer to a math problem because it lead to unfairness and she couldn't comprehend why that would be the right answer. It was so cute how she saw glimmers of friendship from many people in her class before realizing that they all wanted to be her friend by the end and she never even noticed. Quigley also sprinkles tidbits about the Ojibwe way of life throughout the book including words and pronunciations in the Michef language (a combo of Cree, French, and Ojibwe).
Jo Jo Makoons is the newest bubbly character to reach early readers and I am SO excited that this is the first in a series! It will explode smiles and giggles from kids, I couldn't recommend it highly enough.