The Jazlyn J book marks the 16th book in the popular children’s book series that has seen support in past books by well-known Canadians such as Walter Gretzky, musician Tom Cochrane and comedian Colin Mochrie. All of them penned forewords for three other books in the series where both Bruce and Oakes decided to donate portions of their sales to charity.
“Jazlyn J and the Opposites is definitely a personal favourite,” said author, Renná Bruce of their latest release. “It was fun to write and Robin, as usual, did an amazing job with the illustrations.”
In the book, the beloved character, Jazlyn J, is feeling a little upset when the new member of the family arrives (her baby brother). Her feelings turn out to be the complete opposite of what she was expecting! It is a terrific look at examining opposites in life like hot and cold, happy and sad, quiet and loud, big and little and even boy and girl. It also tackles how being different is okay and how if we try hard enough, we’ll find similarities. A terrific book that Bruce hopes will teach acceptance to young ones. “Being different shouldn’t cast us out. When someone or something is different than what we are used to, we should look at is as a fantastic opportunity to learn. We need to embrace that. I believe that is how we grow.”
The Jazlyn J series has received very high acclaim as an independent series. It is ranked a highly educational series and teachers give high praise to the books. “I believe it is because the series focuses on life lessons that young elementary kids are dealing with today and we are promoting positive ways to learn and deal with those lessons,” Bruce said.
Jazlyn J and the Opposites is available to order from independent bookstores, Chapters and Coles stores, Amazon.com, Spectrum Educational products, as well as on-line at the website www.jazlynj.com .
About the Author
Renná Bruce was born in Rivers, Manitoba and travelled across Canada with her military family during her childhood. She graduated from Ryerson in Toronto with a Bachelor of Arts degree and she has published in poetry, creative writing, short stories and newspaper reporting. She has also been a copy writer, broadcaster and account manager for radio. Renná lives in Guelph, Ontario with her family.
Contact Renná at renna@jazlynj.com
About the Illustrator
Robin Oakes was born and raised in Kitchener, Ontario. She began teaching cartooning classes which evolved into a full time teaching job. She pursued various teaching jobs throughout schools, galleries and community centres. When not illustrating, she does murals for various companies and enjoys producing her fine art. She also entertains as a clown at children’s birthday parties with face painting and caricatures in her spare time. She has recently moved to Pembroke, Ontario with her family.
