Review: A Whole Lot of Lemonade Jones

A Whole Lot of Lemonade Jones by Davina Bell and Karen Blair, is a collection of three short stories about a mischievous six-year-old girl.

Lemonade Jones lives with her mum, dad, and baby brother Walter. She has a big personality, and you can expect the unexpected when Lemonade arrives on the scene.

The three stories are about everyday events, with somewhat unforeseen results.

The First Day Back is about Lemonade’s first day at a new school for grade one. Lemonade is confronted with a new teacher, old and new classmates, and a bunch of new rules that she isn’t sure she agrees with.

In The Zoo That Comes to You, Lemonade puts her own unique spin on her birthday party. Being dissatisfied with the lack of exotic animals brought to her house for the celebrations, Lemonade finds a way to dress up the family dog and cat, and disguise a parrot to appear more like a bat. And when the pirate rat gets loose, chaos ensues.

The final story, The Great School Fete, sees Lemonade nominate her mum as lead singer for the fete’s Grade One Mum Band performance, then come to her rescue when she suffers stage fright. Lemonade also enjoys exploring the fete independently, until she gets sick from enjoying all the snacks and rides a bit too much.

With relatable characters and events, and plenty of humour, A Whole Lot of Lemonade Jones is a great book for newly independent readers.

The back of the book includes a recipe that is referenced in the final story of the collection. Making the Unicorn Poo (rainbow meringues) will likely appeal to children of a particular age, and is a fun added extra for readers.

Download the Teachers’ Tips from the publisher’s website.

Title:  A Whole Lot of Lemonade Jones
Author: Davina Bell
Illustrator: Karen Blair
Publisher: Allen & Unwin, $ 14.99
Publication Date: 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN:  9781760526375
For ages: 5+
Type: Junior Fiction Younger

May 24, 2022 at 03:03AM Unknown