Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus

Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus is the story of Junie's first day of kindergarten. But oh no... this year she will have to ride THE BUS. Oh the horror she has heard of the kids who ride the bus. She is terrified to take the smelly bus filled with bullies. So she takes matters into her own hands and decides not to take the bus home.

This story is a fiction chapter book part of the Junie B. Jones series. The book has minimal illustrations but they are done in black ink.

Activities: 

Just like the story take students on a tour of the school inside and out. Show them important offices they should know in case they have questions or get lost. Show them bathrooms, nurses office, play areas, library, ect. to get them more familiar with their new school or just as a refresher for the new school year. (Educator's Guides)

Junie is nervous about meeting new classmates in kindergarten. Have your students get to know each other better by pairing up and doing this fun activity. Have students outline their partner on a large piece of roll paper. Then have them fill in the picture with clothes and faces. Around the border of the picture have them write fun facts about their partner... favorite things and special facts. (Educator's Guides)

Reader Response Questions:

Why do you think Junie was really afraid of the bus?

Do you think it was a bad idea for her to hide at school?

Why do you think Junie made such negative judgements about her classmates?

I have loved this series since I was in elementary school. I think most students who read these books can connect on a personal level because Junie deals with real life school issues in a funny way. This book was written by Barbara Park. She created the Junie B. book series in 1992 and the series grew to over thirty books! All the books are illustrated by Denise Brunkus. 

Some other books in the series are:

Junie B. Jones Is Not a Crook

Junie B. Jones Has a Monster Under Her Bed

Junie B. Jones Is a Party Animal

Park, B. (1992). Junie b. jones and the stupid smelly bus. New York, NY: Random House 

Educator's guides. Teachers' club. Retrieved from http://juniebjones.com/teachers/stupid-smelly-bus/