Jo Jo Makoons: The Used-to-Be Best Friend
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- 17,99 zł
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- 17,99 zł
Publisher Description
American Indian Youth Literature Award: Middle Grade Honor Book! Hello/Boozhoo—meet Jo Jo Makoons! Full of pride, joy, and plenty of humor, this first book in an all-new chapter book series by Dawn Quigley celebrates a spunky young Ojibwe girl who loves who she is.
Jo Jo Makoons Azure is a spirited seven-year-old who moves through the world a little differently than anyone else on her Ojibwe reservation. It always seems like her mom, her kokum (grandma), and her teacher have a lot to learn—about how good Jo Jo is at cleaning up, what makes a good rhyme, and what it means to be friendly.
Even though Jo Jo loves her #1 best friend Mimi (who is a cat), she’s worried that she needs to figure out how to make more friends. Because Fern, her best friend at school, may not want to be friends anymore…
The Heartdrum imprint centers a wide range of intertribal voices, visions, and stories while welcoming all young readers, with an emphasis on the present and future of Indian Country and on the strength of young Native heroes. In partnership with We Need Diverse Books.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this buoyant series starter by Ojibwe author Quigley(Apple in the Middle), Indigenous first grader Josephine Makoons Azure, known as Jo Jo, narrates her experiences of home and school on the fictional Pem-bina Ojibwe Reservation, where she lives with her mother and grandmother. In a winning, straightforward voice ("Ojibwe is my Native American tribe. You say it like this: Oh-JIB-way. See? Ojibwe"), Jo Jo introduces her growing concerns. Cat Mimi, Jo Jo's "home best friend who ignores me sometimes," needs shots, which the girl believes may deflate the feline, "just like a balloon letting the air out." Jo Jo also worries that her school best friend, Fern, may not want to eat lunch with her anymore. Quigley adeptly creates strong classroom scenes that convey an inclusive student body's realistic dynamic and an endearing, assured seven-year-old protagonist who appreciates her cultural identity ("If you can say Tyrannosaurus rex, you can say nindizhinikaaz"). B&w cartoon drawings by Audibert (This Place), who is of Wolastoqey/French heritage, emphasize characterization throughout. Front matter discusses reservations and Native Nations; back matter includes a Michif and Ojibwe glossary with pronunciations and an author's note. Ages 6–10.
