You may have read some of the following book series when you were a child or have read them to your own children and students: Clifford the Big Red Dog, The Berenstein Bears, Arthur, and The Magic School Bus. Like me, you probably consider the content of these books as age appropriate, educational, and entertaining, therefore, children would benefit from reading them. However, as I grew older I noticed that something was missing in the field of children’s book series. I could not help noticing that Americans were authors of these series and wondered if Canadians lacked the ingenuity of creating their own version of beloved characters in children’s books. Imagine my delight and enthusiasm when I was introduced to Jazlyn J – a Canadian children’s book series! I could not wait to read them and see how I could share it with others, especially children.

 Jazlyn J was created by Renná Bruce and illustrated by Robin Oakes. Bruce lives in Guelph, Ontario, while Oakes lives in Kitchener, Ontario. The goal of Jazlyn J is to “give kids positive-thinking skills and guide them to appreciate all experiences in their everyday lives” ( http://www.jazlynj.com). There is no doubt that Jazlyn J is the representation of this goal. She is a feisty, active girl with glasses and pigtails who loves soccer and hockey. She is featured in an alphabetical book series that begins with Jazlyn J Learns Her Address. The latest addition to the series is Jazlyn J’s Lesson in Luck. The next alphabetical book, Jazlyn J’s Money Matters, is coming soon. Each book focuses on a theme or issue that is important to children from ages 3 to 9. Whether it is having a bad hair day, getting jealous over a friend, wanting to help one’s parents or learning how to set personal goals, children can identify with Jazlyn J through these realistic situations and learn from her experiences in dealing with these issues.

I think that this book series is fabulous because children finally have a Canadian role model to look up to. Jazlyn J teaches children to think positively and to be optimistic no matter how bad life gets. Positive thinking is always present in each book when Jazlyn J shares her favourite part of the day with her parents. As Bruce and Oakes state on their website, “fostering this positive attitude towards life allows children a better chance to achieve success in whatever they plan to do.” Both educators and parents can use this series to encourage children to learn about their own address, computer parts, and other essentials that are important for children to know. At the same time, important values and life skills are emphasized in each of the books such as decision-making, sharing, self-expression, self-acceptance, and perseverance to point children in the right direction towards believing in themselves and to help and share with others. What I also like about this series is that at the end of each book, there is always a question relating to the book’s theme directed to the reader. This can be used to start a discussion with children.

I urge you to check out the Jazlyn J series yourself and see how inspiring the books are, not only to you as the adult, teacher or parent, but also to the children as readers. In addition, you should visit the official Jazlyn J website at http:// www.jazlynj.com to see how you can incorporate the book themes into your lessons or discussions with children.