Jessica

Ruthie Simms didn't have a dog.
She didn't have a cat,
or a brother,
or a sister.
But Jessica was the next best thing.

Jessica is Ruthie's imaginary friend, and she even comes to the first day of kindergarten. But there, a marvelous thing happens when the children are asked to pair up to walk to the bathroom...

See also: Owen by Kevin Henkes

My parents got this book for me, Jessica, when I was five years old, but reading it again almost fifteen years later, really gives me a new insight into it. Ruthie is scared of change, of leaving her family and going to a place called school where she doesn't know anybody, so she creates an imaginary friend named Jessica who goes everywhere and does everything with her and who can never leave her. But low and behold, when Ruthie does go to school, she meets a real person who replaces her imaginary friend, making for a more healthy friendship, and that person's name is Jessica. How fitting!

This book teaches us that change is not only okay, but sometimes, it is even better. Like Ruthie, we may be scared, but one way or another, everything show more will work out. They might not be as perfect as finding someone named Jessica to replace an imaginary friend named Jessica, but knowing how good things can be is the encouragement that kids need in order to take risks and find happiness. show less

Summary: Ruthie has an imaginary best friend named Jessica. Ruthie and Jessica do everything together. So when Ruthie goes off to kindergarten, naturally Jessica goes, too. But then, Ruthie meets a real person called Jessica, and they become the best of friends!

Review: This book is one of my favorite childhood books, partially because I loved that the title was my name. As a child, I also loved the refrain of, "There is no Jessica!" I especially loved that, in the end, Ruthie's parents were wrong; there was, in fact, a Jessica! Now that I'm older, I can also appreciate Kevin Henkes's marvelous illustrations. I highly recommend this book; it's splendid!

Central Idea of Jessica: It's okay to have imaginary friends, but real friends are better!

Every child had an imaginary friend at some point in his or her life, and this book portrays this exactly. Jessica is another great book by Kevin Henkes that demonstrates the many untold and unrepeated aspects of childhood life.

"There is no Jessica," said Ruthie's parents. But of course there was. She ate with Ruthie, played with Ruthie, and was sorry when Ruthie was bad. Nobody could see Jessica -- except Ruthie. When it came time for Ruthie to go to school, Jessica went with her. Her parents hoped Ruthie would find a friend at school who would replace Jessica. They were in for a (happy) surprise! Review from Amazon.

Children quickly become familiar with the story because key words and phrases are repeated throughout the book. More importantly, the book talks about activities and fears that all young children have and accurately depicts a child's hesitation to voice his or her fears. For example, when Ruthie's parents want to go to a movie, "Jessica," not show more Ruthie, gets a stomach ache and wants them to stay home. This is a terrific book.

Some notes on authors craft - Fiona
Use of bold type to express emotion - pg 4, 10
White Spaces to show elapsed time - throughout the book
Lead and ending match - "Ruthie Simms didn't have a dog. She didn't have a cat, or a brother, or a sister. But Jessica was the next best thing"
Varied sentence structure - long and short
Different font for dialogue to add voice
Italicized words to show emphasis. show less

This is one of my favorite books. I think it is a great book to read aloud to children during the first week of kindergarten when everyone is trying to make friends. The pictures are so cute and the way Henkes writes is hilarious. I think every child would like this book!

"Jessica," by Kevin Henkes, is a great story to read to students who are just entering the elementary school age. This story, about a little girl who starts Kindergarten without wanting to leave her imaginary friend Jessica behind, will teach children that it is great to start making new friends when you come to school and start a new grade or class. This story would also be helpful to use in the classroom for students who may be at that age where they have imaginary friends still or who even just like using their imaginations! Henkes, like always, uses brightly painted illustrations to tell this cute story of a little girl and her imaginary friend, Jessica.