Barbara Park
1947 - 2013
I felt a pitter-patter in my heart yesterday when I found out that the author of my favorite books as a child had passed away at the age of 66 after a long fight with ovarian cancer.
While she authored countless other children's tales, her most famous books were about a spunky little kindergartener named Junie B. Jones. Junie B.'s misadventures through elementary school not only helped me practice reading, but was the first character most little girls could really relate to. It's fun to read about princesses and fairy tales, but Junie B. had problems that we had too: "Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus," "Jingle Bells, Batman Smells! (P.S. So Does May.)," Junie B. Jones has a Monster Under her Bed," and my personal favorite, "Junie B. Jones and her Big Fat Mouth."
The books are still proudly stacked in my bookshelf at home and I was sure to read them all to my younger sister every night when she was Junie B.'s age.
I understand that print novels don't sell as well anymore and that many kids resort to online entertainment now, but for me and so many others out there it would be a travesty not to teach our own children the beauty of bedtime stories and the pride of reading your first books.
Authors have guts these days, knowing that they may not get rewarded with money or fame. But as Park said in an interview with PW last year, "For 20 years I've gotten to laugh my way through my work. For me, that's a dream job."
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