“Zoe’s the smartest,” said Vanessa, “I’m the best actress, and you, Winifred Fletcher . . .” she said, turning to Winnie. “You are the best—” Winnie waited to hear what Vanessa would say. It seemed as if Vanessa had to check every cupboard in her brain to find an answer.
How do you know if you’re really good at something and not just ordinary? Can you be the best at something if you really want to? With humor and insight, Jennifer Richard Jacobson captures the complex emotions of jealousy, competition, self-doubt, and, ultimately, self-acceptance.
Zoe is the smartest speller and Vanessa is the top actress in the fourth grade, but Winnie doesn't know what she does best until she helps a young neighbor in need.Jennifer Richard Jacobson’s favorite camp memory is of canoeing to a river island, where she and her paddling friends built a campfire and slept out under the stars until dawn. Jennifer lives with her husband and two children in Cumberland, Maine, where they like to sing silly camp songs.
First met in Winnie Dancing on Her Own (in PW's words, "This uplifting tale speaks to the emerging independence of all grade-schoolers"), the heroine stars in her third adventure, Winnie at Her Best by Jennifer Richard Jacobson, illus. by Alissa Imre Geis. Winnie's fourth-grade pals know where they excel, but what is Winnie's gift? Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Gr 2-4 This lovely early chapter book, the third in a series about fourth-grader Winnie, is full of quiet emotions and on-target observations about the way young children think and act. Winnie’s friend Zoe represents their school in the city spelling bee. Vanessa, her other best pal, is in the high school’s production of The Sound of Music . Winnie, trying to find what she does best, enters an art contest run by a local museum. At school, she is paired with a defiant kindergartener, John Stuart, as a reading buddy. While keying in on his interests and helping him to learn to read, she finds that they have something in common; Winnie’s mom died soon after she was born, and John Stuart’s mom is sick and his father is absent. Later, when his mom is rushed to the hospital, Winnie can either stay with the frightened little boy or see how she does at the art contest. Choosing the right thing to do does not come easily. By the end, she realizes that although she draws well, she’s best at being a friend. Simple line drawings add charm and whimsy and effectively depict the characters’ feelings. Winnie is a well-rounded and earnest protagonist who can comfortably join the ranks of spunky girls like Amber Brown, Ramona, and Junie B. Jones.Tina Zubak, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA
[Page 174]. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
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