This Is MY Room!: (No Tigers Allowed)

by Jennifer Richard Jacobson, Alexandria Neonakis (Illustrator)

Overview

Jojo’s ready for her first night all alone in her very own room, but a menagerie of animals have other ideas in this charming and fun picture book.

Jojo can’t wait to spend the night in her very own bed in her very own room. She doesn’t care what her big sister Margaret says, she’s NOT afraid and she WON’T be back to the bedroom they used to share.

There’s just one problem though—there are intruders in her new room! A lion, a bear, and a very persistent tiger seem to think this is THEIR room, not Jojo’s. Is Margaret right? Is Jojo not quite ready to spend the night on her own? Or can Jojo find a way to show that trespassing tiger just who’s boss in HER room?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781534402119
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date:	05/28/2019
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	8.70(w) x 10.90(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	HL570L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jennifer Richard Jacobson grew up in a family of storytellers. “My brothers,” she says, “had the ability to make us laugh until our bellies hurt. I wasn’t as hilarious, but I learned how to take the mishaps in life (especially the embarrassments) and turn them into a dramatic story.” Jennifer is the author of the middle grade novels Paper Things and Small as an Elephant, and the Andy Shane picture book series, among others. She lives in Maine with her husband and Jack Russell terrier. Visit her at JenniferJacobson.com.

Alexandria Neonakis lives in Santa Monica, California with her boyfriend and two cats. She was born in Nova Scotia, Canada, an eastern maritime province where she spent most of her time outdoors in the beautiful coastal Atlantic and forest landscapes. Her main goal is to create images that have strong emotional impact. She pulls inspiration from childhood memories, nature, animated films, and classic illustration, and tries to combine character with lighting, strong color direction, and staging to help sell a moment. She spends most of her free time painting, visiting museums, and hiking the amazing parks of southern California.

Editorial Reviews

05/13/2019

JoJo decides to sleep in her own bedroom instead of with her older sister, Margaret (“You’ll be back,” Margaret tells her). But after she confidently settles in, “a lion slipped out from behind the window curtain,” thumping its tail. The way to keep lions away, Margaret indicates, is to make a “No Lions Allowed!” sign. The lion doesn’t return (it must have read the sign, JoJo figures), but a bear with meatball breath appears next. She adds bears to the list of restricted animals and, looking dejected, the bear leaves. Readers will recognize a pattern by the time a tiger arrives. Charming digital illustrations by Neonakis first render the animal visitors as imposing—the tiger stalks out of the closet with an expression of possible hunger—then as benevolent when the light turns on. An endearing twist suggests that making friends with things that go bump (or growl) in the night can help everyone rest easier. Ages 4–8. (May)

Publishers Weekly

2019-02-13

Protagonist JoJo is old enough to have her own bedroom and doesn't have to sleep with her big sister, Margaret, or anyone else…maybe.

As JoJo happily carries blankets to her new room, Margaret predicts that she'll be back. JoJo pooh-poohs the notion. But after JoJo turns off her light and hunkers down, a lion steps out from behind the drapes. JoJo quickly hustles to Margaret's room to tell her. Margaret suggests she make a "No Lions Allowed" sign. JoJo does and tapes it over her bed. After the lion reads the sign, it leaves; however, more animals appear. JoJo adds each animal's name to the sign, which works until the curious tiger is confused by the sign. JoJo could return to her sister's animal-free room, but instead she thinks of a way to solve the problem herself. Jacobson tackles the perennial desire of children to resist bedtime with a unique twist, her understated, patterned text totally in tune with her readers. Neonakis' engaging use of color and composition make this a real page-turner. The interplay between text and illustrations may initially have some older readers skeptical that any animals are actually bedeviling JoJo, but the truth becomes clear in a dramatic, tension-filled sequence. The enormous bulks of JoJo's nighttime animals, who seem as tentative as JoJo despite their fearsome looks, make for highly amusing compositions. JoJo and Margaret present white.

A winner, day or night. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews