A Book A Day ... Remembering Barbara Park
When you ask someone about great literature (a grown up, I mean), they'll usually prattle off a list of the classics: Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Faulkner, Steinbeck, Hemingway ... A few might name Stranger in a Strange Land or other science fiction favorites. And if you asked about children's literature, after hemming and hawing, you might get a nod for Maurice Sendak, Dr. Seuss or Shel Silverstein.
The importance of great children's literature is so so underrated. People don't begin cracking open the spine of Marcel Proust. They begin the enchantment of reading with storybooks and fairy tales. Then they move into independent reading and might be lucky enough to have their lives graced with Junie B Jones.
Junie B Jones is a misfit, loud mouth, warm-hearted little girl who makes me laugh on every single page. Honestly, how Barbara Park got into the brain of a five-year-old is beyond me, but she did it masterfully!
My Junie B. was Ramona the Pest. Oh, how I could relate to Ramona with the perfect big sister. She was a Tom boy and strong willed and such a royal pain in the behiney (a Junie B word). And now, my daughter relates to Junie B.
My daughter has been left out of birthday parties, has had friends blow her off, has traveled on airplanes with cranky people, has felt the crushing disappointment of a five-year-old's life. And Junie B brings those experiences to life. There's nothing I cherish more than opening a new Junie B and sharing it with my daughter because we just laugh together. Sometimes I don't get through the sentence before I have to stop and laugh. What a wonderful, beautiful thing to share with my girls!
In November, Barbara Park died after a long battle with ovarian cancer. I told my daughter, and she said, "So no more Junie B books?"
I shook my head.
This is a nod to Junie B and the misfits out there -- the ones who stick their foot in it too often; the ones who don't get invited everywhere; the ones who stumble through some days; and soar through others. Hats off to Junie B.
Age: 4+
The importance of great children's literature is so so underrated. People don't begin cracking open the spine of Marcel Proust. They begin the enchantment of reading with storybooks and fairy tales. Then they move into independent reading and might be lucky enough to have their lives graced with Junie B Jones.
Junie B Jones is a misfit, loud mouth, warm-hearted little girl who makes me laugh on every single page. Honestly, how Barbara Park got into the brain of a five-year-old is beyond me, but she did it masterfully!
My Junie B. was Ramona the Pest. Oh, how I could relate to Ramona with the perfect big sister. She was a Tom boy and strong willed and such a royal pain in the behiney (a Junie B word). And now, my daughter relates to Junie B.
My daughter has been left out of birthday parties, has had friends blow her off, has traveled on airplanes with cranky people, has felt the crushing disappointment of a five-year-old's life. And Junie B brings those experiences to life. There's nothing I cherish more than opening a new Junie B and sharing it with my daughter because we just laugh together. Sometimes I don't get through the sentence before I have to stop and laugh. What a wonderful, beautiful thing to share with my girls!
In November, Barbara Park died after a long battle with ovarian cancer. I told my daughter, and she said, "So no more Junie B books?"
I shook my head.
This is a nod to Junie B and the misfits out there -- the ones who stick their foot in it too often; the ones who don't get invited everywhere; the ones who stumble through some days; and soar through others. Hats off to Junie B.
Age: 4+
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