Janey has been a little stubborn lately, always wanting things done her way. After spending some time out in the garden with the class, and bossing her friends around, she finds herself all alone because no one wants to work with her. Will Janey find a way to work with others?
Just Janey’s Way shows how children that are stubborn may seem like bullies, but they are really just afraid, and having control makes them feel safe. Once this issue is out in the open this book does a fantastic job of showing kids how to handle the situation. Opening up and talking about things is a critical step for Janey, and helps her reconnect with her friends. I thought this was a great lesson to teach to young children, because a lot of times children bottle up their emotions, and this book shows them that it’s okay to let others know your worries.
There is a wonderfully diverse cast of characters in this book that carries over from book one. I was also happy to see that Ben’s Fidget ball makes another appearance as this establishes a character trait throughout the series and also shows readers that people deal with their emotions in different ways. I think that this is really what this book, and book one in the Janey Series, was about; handling emotions.
Yet another fantastic and educational entry in The Janey Series. This is a vibrant picture book that is sure to keep kids engaged while teaching them a valuable life lesson. I highly recommend this children’s book. It would be great for gifting and is an exceptional kids' book to add to any young child’s library.
Mandy Woolf (author) Elmira Georgieva (illustrator) The Book Reality Experience (2022) ISBN: 978-1922670557 Reviewed by Rachel Dehning for Reader Views (8/22) 5 stars-How To Deal With Some Anxiety At A Young Age "Just Janey's Way" is the story about a girl named Janey who, simply said, wants everyone to do things her way. Janey is at school and wherever she's at - recess, the classroom, in the garden - she demands her classmates do things her way, including her friends. Janey and her class have their turn in the garden, where they are expected to get it ready before they can choose and plant their seeds. Of course, Janey has her own opinion on the gardening process, much to the dismay of her friends. After some good communication between everyone, we learn that Janey has her reasons for being bossy, but nevertheless, is regretful of her behavior toward those she cares about; and thankfully, those she cares about care about her as well and are willing to forgive and make things right. "Just Janey's Way" is the second book in the "Janey" series by Mandy Woolf. Woolf continues her series from "Janey Just in Case" with themes of children struggling with internal conflicts regarding something important to them. An example is that Janey has a friend in the books who struggles with anxiety and copes with it through the use of a fidget ball to ease the anxiety. Janey's friends demonstrate good communication in "Just Janey's Way" by expressing their feelings about how Janey is acting toward them in an effective way that is straight to the point, but not too harsh; then they demonstrate a good resolution of the problem by accepting Janey's apology (essentially forgiving her) and moving on with their friendship without allowing the previous negative situation to put a damper on their fun together. The illustrations in the book are bright and cheerful and include diverse characters (friends being Asian, African American, and "ginger" with freckles and their teacher wearing a hijab). The reading level seems to be around a second-third-grade level, but the comprehension level could probably be any age. A third book in the series would be welcome and the first two are recommended to be read by parents and kids alike, and then possibly discussed so kids have a better understanding of how they should act and ways of coping with mental health symptoms in a healthy way
About the book: Janey wants everything her way and won’t take no for an answer. Her friends do their best to fit in with her demands until they decided that enough is enough! Is Janey a stubborn bully? Or is it that she just needs time to understand the true meaning of friendship?
Thoughts: The front cover is of a bright day, where Janey is at school gardening by herself, the teacher and other children are in the background chatting. A colorful main character who has blonde hair, wearing a t-shirt, skirt, and tights. The blurb isn’t too big or small, doesn’t give too much away, and has rhetorical questions such as ‘Is Janey a bully?’ Giving young readers a chance to predict what they think will happen.
Rating:
Why I rated it 5/5 stars: The illustrations are vibrant and fun, showing children having fun in the playground together, playing hopscotch, jump rope, and tag, sitting in the classroom, and gardening. Throughout the story, Janey wants everyone to do things her way, copy her and follow her, but this isn’t right. Janey would push to the front of the lines, she’d always shout ‘pick me to the teacher, and would constantly be bossy towards her peers during gardening club. Janey wanted to be the leader of her group and choose what they planted, but her friends were not happy. Because of this, Janey lost her friends and this made her think about her actions for the future! I am a big fan of diversity in books especially children’s books, as it makes young readers aware that everyone looks different! The characters all have unique features including different hair colors, skin tones, genders, and nationalities, there are twins and a boy who wears glasses and needs a fidget ball to help him refocus. The teacher wears a hijab and this will encourage questions from young readers as some children may not have seen anyone were this before. One of my favorite parts of the story is that eventually, Janey realizes the error of her ways, when she’s gardening on her own it isn’t much fun. She finds the courage to find her friends, apologize and explain why she acted the way she did! To me, the message of the story is to be kind, work as a team, respect your friends, listen and share ideas.
