Barbara Park, author of series including the “Junie B. Jones” books, passed away recently but has left a marked impact on readers. Photo: Elizabeth Rainey, The Daily Mississippian
“My name is Junie B. Jones. The B stands for Beatrice. ‘Xcept I don’t like Beatrice. I just like B and that’s all.”
To many of us, this is one of the strongest voices from our childhood. A sarcastic and witty kindergartener somehow captivated our generation and led a multitude of us into reading. The author who brought us this voice, Barbra Park, passed away last Friday, Nov. 15. Park was a children’s novelist whose work included the tremendously popular Junie B. Jones series, “Skinnybones,” the Geek Chronicles and “Mick Harte Was Here,” among many others. At only 66, Park died after battling ovarian cancer.
Park won more than 40 awards and was featured in USA Today, The New York Times and Time Magazine. Awards and honors, however, are only a fraction of what Barbra Park meant to millions of children across the nation.
In Park’s work, readers find more than characters, plots and narrations; they find a fresh form of witty sarcasm and innocent, often childish humor. We have watched Skinnybones, Junie B. and a multitude of other characters grow and mature. Whether Junie B.’s transition into and out of kindergarten or the graduation of Jake Moon, Park narrated the changes that most children experience in a comical, engaging way.
Park assessed issues such as accepting differences in appearance, social status and age. Park has often challenged conventional roles in many of her novels.
“Girls can be anything boys can be,” Park narrated in “Junie B. Jones and Her Big Fat Mouth.” “‘Cause I saw that on Sesame Street. And also on Oprah.”
Park highlighted some of the toughest transitions in a child’s life, like handling the death of a loved one.
“Yeah, but what does that even mean … heaven?” Park wrote in “Mick Harte Was Here.” “Because see, I need to be able to put him somewhere, Zo. In my head, I mean. I need to be able to close my eyes and picture him and know he’s okay.”
Through her work, Park taught an untold number of individuals lessons they may not have otherwise learned. She instilled a love of reading in the minds of all who encountered her. Stories of Park’s influence have flooded social media since the news broke. It’s apparent that the novels intended for children have reached readers of all ages — with lasting effect. Though the first of the series, “Junie B. Jones and the Stupid, Smelly Bus,” celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2012, its effect has persisted.
When I was a child, I had trouble learning to read. As an avid book lover today, it’s hard to believe this was ever true. However, by second grade I had failed to learn even the rudimentary elements. It was at this point in my education that my mother decided to intervene by reading the Junie B. Jones series to me and my siblings, letting eachof us take turns with the novelettes. This could have been a tedious, dull experience, and I may have never learned to read well. However, the captivating and humorous work of Barbra Park kept the attention of my family. In turn, not only did I learn to read, but I learned to love reading as well.
The endearment of Park’s characters took a toll on my perception of books. By learning that reading was more than a forcible subject in school, I began to appreciate the doors it could open. Junie B. Jones was the beginning of a literary love that has stayed with me since it began and has inspired me to write as I have and will continue to do.
Barbra Park was an inspiration to writers, a source of guidance to children and one of the most beloved novelists of our time. We may be saying goodbye to a literary colossus, but we will always value the impact her characters have had on us.
— Clara Turnage
scturna1@go.olemiss.edu
