Jumping Jenny

Jenny, a playful five-year-old, confronts the changes in her life with a mixture of trepidation and excitement. She's entering kindergarten, but will she find a best friend? Mama will be taking courses part-time, but will Daddy be able to cook French toast in her absence? Enrolling in a gymnastics program should be fun, but can Jenny master the backward roll? And when she loses a baby tooth, will the tooth fairy reward her? Despite these concerns, Jenny emerges triumphant. Pryor's ( Vinegar Pancakes and Vanishing Cream ) lengthy episodic novel evinces such a juvenile slant that it's doubtful the projected readership will be interested in the story of this young protagonist. Several words--``indignant,'' ``reluctantly''--seem beyond the level of the material, and comedic touches are strained, as when Jenny expects a surprise birthday party after misinterpreting an overheard conversation. ``duck doo'' hardly enhances it. Ages 7-up. (Apr.)