Books by Nancy Bondurant Jones
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No. Jeremy didn't worry but he did wonder. He wondered why there were different moons in the sky and only one sun.        No. Jeremias no se preocupaba, pero si se preguntaba. El se preguntaba por qué había diferentes lunas en el cielo y solamente un sol.

Another book matching a middle-reader-friendly text -- in two languages -- with generous and hauntingly pretty illustrations is ... Nancy Bondurant Jones's Jeremy the wonderer... The hero is a quiet, watchful little boy whose mom frets about him: "Jeremy is such a worrier." The English version is stripped across the top of the pages, with the Spanish below: "Jeremias se preocupa tanto." But Jeremy, who overhears this remark, knows better: "Jeremias no se preocupaba, per si se preguntaba." He didn't worry, but he did wonder -- about everything from ants to stars, birds' eggs to skipping-stones. Luckily, one grownup in his life -- his grandfather -- shares his curiosity. The story of this mutually enriching relationship is as thought-provoking as it is sweet: Kids must deduce from the illustrations and a few hints, for instance, that Jeremy lives in the city and Grandpa in the country. Margot Bergman did the sensitive paintings.

-- Elizabeth Ward, "Book World," The Washington Post -- Sunday, June 3, 2007

Jeremy the wonderer is not only a story for parents and children but also a teaching tool. SOLs are a major concern these days and this book is designed to reinforce skills needed for that test. It leads to discussion and questions with answers drawn from the illustrations or text. For example, questions are constantly raised within the book:

• Do you ever wonder about anything? Let's make a list of some things we wonder about.
• Where does the Grandfather live? How do you know?
• What are the women doing in the kitchen?
• How do people can food?
• Why do people can foods instead of buying at a store?
• Do stars really land in apples?
• Is the Grandfather bad for saying that? [Point out that it's a story he got from his own grandfather when he was a boy.]
• What do we call stories like that passed down through generations?
• How is a folk tale different from a fairy tale? Do you think that Jeremy will discover that when he's older?
• How old do you think that Jeremy is? Why? [He's not in school yet, so he must be about five.]
• Where does Jeremy live? [A city high-rise apartment] How do you know?

A teacher will shape the questions to match the grade level and ability of her students.