Important to have a fun book about a modern Native (Ojibwe) first-grader, a girl any child can identify with, who can also teach us non-Native people something about modern Ojibwe culture. Unfortunately I, personally, didn't find the book all that enjoyable. Jo Jo makes sillier mistakes than Amelia Bedelia and doesn't actually learn from them, for example about rhyming.

And were her illustrations that she submitted to the yearbook any good? If I were Teacher I would have trouble with them as being disrespectful of her classmates. And speaking of respect, his name is not Teacher, Jo Jo, as he told you. He's being careful with names, cannot you be?

Definitely mixed feelings about this. If you choose to share it with your child, please discuss. ( )

Gr 2–5—Jo Jo Makoons Azure is a seven-year-old Ojibwe girl with a sunny attitude. She loves her family (especially
her cat Mimi) and life on her reservation. But shifting friendship dynamics and school drama lead to incidents that
eventually yield important, heartwarming lessons. This outstanding chapter book weaves daily kid concerns with
engaging information about Ojibwe customs.
NB: Part of a series.

This silly chapter book features a funny Ojibwe girl protagonist.

Set on a fictional reservation known as the Pembina Ojibwe, this story introduces Jo Jo, an intelligent and charismatic first grader who is fretting over two big problems in this series opener. Her first worry concerns her home best friend, Mimi the cat, who she fears may deflate when she gets vaccinated. Her second concern is that her school best friend, Fern, has begun to ignore her at lunchtime. From Jo Jo’s difficulties with language arts to her attempts to save Mimi, hijinks emerge. Through it all, cultural information about Jo Jo’s Ojibwe way of life is shared in a way that suggests her pride for her people, traditions, and family. Young readers will revel in the humor this chapter book offers: the wordplay, the nicknames, and Jo Jo’s irrepressible narrative voice. But it is the friendships at her school, where her teacher is White and her classmates are multicultural, that will linger with readers. Even though it is in a border town, the school Jo Jo attends respects her cultural traditions, and the effect is heartwarming. Quigley (Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe) provides a glossary of Ojibwe and Michif words that enhances the experience. Audibert (of Wolastoqey and French heritage) supplies plentiful grayscale illustrations that depict Jo Jo and her friends with big, pretty eyes and expressive faces.

A joyful book about growing up Native in a loving community—not to be missed. (Fiction. 6-10)

-Kirkus Review

RGG: Fun read; perfect for novice chapter book readers. You'll want to read more about 4th Grader JoJo.