Biographical Information on Barbara Park
Websites About Barbara Park
A Brief Look At The Writings of Barbara Park
Barbara Park is the author of thirty-five books for children--twenty-one of which are part of the Junie B. Jones series. She is best noted for her humor which is evident in most�if not all�of the books she has written. Ilene Cooper wrote in her review of Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus that Park is one of the funniest writers around(671). Readers and reviewers agree on the quality of her work�Park has won forty awards for her books, including twenty-five Children's Choice Awards(Author Bio).
Barbara Park has written for three different audiences. She has written one picture book entitled Psssst! It's Me�the Bogeyman which is recommended for children age six to eight. In the book, a little boy has a confrontation with the bogeyman. The bogeyman is mad because of the latest story in the National Squealer which falsely portrays him as someone who will get ya if ya don't watch out!. The bogeyman then proceeds to debunk certain myths about himself. For example he says that the bogeyman doesn't say boo because Boo's a baby word, Bubbie. It rhymes with toodle-loo, and Winnie the Pooh, and it comes after peek-a. And right before hoo. And okay, maybe if you scream it really loud at a football game, it might mean the ref made a bad call. But no matter how you shout it, boo just ain't scary, Skippy(10). John Peters in his review called it a hilarious anodyne for nighttime fears (2016).
Barbara Park is also the author of a hugely successful series revolving around one very spirited girl�Junie B. Jones. Junie B. Jones first made her appearance in 1992 in Junie B. Jones and The Stupid Smelly Bus. Since 1992, she has appeared in twenty subsequent books including Junie B. Jones and her Big Fat Mouth, Junie B. Jones and Some Sneaky Peeky Spying, Junie B. Jones Smells Something Fishy, Junie B. Jones and the Mushy Gushy Valentine, Junie B., First Grader At Last ,Junie B., First Grader Boss of Lunch and Junie B., First Grader Toothless Wonder. The first seventeen books tell the adventures of Junie B. Jones in kindergarten; the subsequent books in the series star Junie B. in first grade. But regardless of which grade Junie's in, she'll always remain the same. Kay Weisman wrote in her review of Junie B. Jones and Some Sneaky Peeky Spying that Park has a wonderful ear for the dialogue of five-year-olds and an even better grasp of how their minds operate. In Junie B. Jones and Some Sneaky Peeky Spying, Junie B. keeps getting in trouble because of her way of sneaking up on people and invading their privacy. Here is one of her humorous spying incidents. Junie B. has a baby brother, Oliver. When her mother tells her to be quiet because her brother is sleeping, Junie decides that the most quiet activity she could do would be to do some sneaky-peeky spying on her brother through the bars in his crib. Unfortunately, that boring old baby just kept on sleeping and sleeping. And he wasn't being fun. So that's how come I accidentally blowed on his face. And I tickled his nose with a ribbon. And I shouted WAKE UP in his ear. Of course, Ollie starts to cry which prompted Junie to have to hide in the closet. This incident is typical Junie B Jones! While adults and teachers�in the books�might find her a handful, kids love to read about her adventures�and misadventures. The books are written on a second or third grade reading level. The books also make great read alouds for all ages.
While Barbara Park may be most prolific in the Junie B. Jones series, her first books were written for a middle school audience. Some of her most successful books are written for that audience including Mick Harte Was Here. In the book, Barbara Park writes of a family's struggle as they grieve the loss of their son (and brother). Ilene Cooper wrote in her review that there is a sea of real emotions here, and readers, whether they've been touched by death or not, will find themselves touched by this book (1242). While Park deals with this subject seriously and respectfully, she does not try to keep it devoid of all humor and wit. Although the book is not a light read by any means. Another book by Park for middle-schoolers is My Mother Got Married (And Other Disasters. The book is actually a sequel to her first novel Don't Make Me Smile. In the book, Charlie continues to struggle with his parents divorce. His mother has met a new guy and Charlie is forced to accept these�in his opinion�harsh and unfair circumstances. The problems are doubled when his mother marries again and brings not only a new husband but two other children into the house. The book deals with a serious subject in a very humorous way. Betsy Hearne in her review stated that Charlie's first person voice is entertaining, his selfishness is candidly realistic (154).
Barbara Park has a diverse range. Her humor appeals to readers of all ages. She has written about a variety of problems ranging from trivial to serious (worries about the tooth fairy to death) but her talent in reaching her audience is consistent. Park's goal in writing is to create living, breathing people . . . I want my books to feel like people(Contemporary Authors Online). Park has indeed met that goal with many of her books.
Bibliography
Cooper, Ilene. 1995. Review of Mick Harte was here, by Barbara Park. Booklist 91.13 (March) : 1242.
Cooper, Ilene. 1992. Review of Junie B. Jones and the stupid smelly bus, by Barbara Park. Booklist 89.7 (November) : 671.
Gale Group. 2001. Barbara Park. Contemporary Authors Online.
Hearne, Betsy. 1989. Review of My mother got married and other disasters, by Barbara Park. The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 42.6 : 154.
Peters, John. 1998. Review of Pssst! it's me . . . the bogeyman, by Barbara Park. Booklist 94.22 (August) : 2016.
Weisman, Kay. 1994. Review of Junie B. Jones and some sneaky peeky spying, by Barbara Park. Booklist 91. 6 (November) : 602.
Park, Barbara. 1989. My mother got married and other disasters. New York: Random House. ISBN: 0-394-85059-9.
Park, Barbara. 2003. Junie B., first grader: cheater pants. New York: Random House. ISBN: 0375823018.
Park, Barbara. 1998. Pssst! it's me . . . the bogeyman. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 0-689-81667-7.
Park, Barbara. 1995. Mick Harte was here. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN: 0-679-87088-1.
Park, Barbara. 1982. Skinnybones. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN: 0-394-84988-4.
Park, Barbara. 1992. Junie B. Jones and the stupid smelly bus. New York: Random House. ISBN: 0679826424
Park, Barbara. 1981. Don't make me smile. New York: Random House. ISBN: 0375815554 .
Park, Barbara. 1987. The kid in the red jacket. New York: Random House. ISBN: 0394805712.
Park, Barbara. 1990. Maxie, Rosie, and Earl�Partners in Grime. New York: Random House. ISBN: 0679806431.
Park, Barbara. 2000. The graduation of Jake Moon. New York: Atheneum. ISBN: 0689839855.
Rationale for choosing books: I chose these books to be representative of Park's writing. There is a mix of old and new titles. There is a mix of intended audiences. Some books like Mick Harte Was Here are for older readers (sixth grade and up) while some are for younger audiences. I felt since Park has written for a variety of audiences � a little bit of everything should be included in her bibliography. I resisted listing all twenty-one Junie B. Jones books. I chose the first book (Stupid Smelly Bus) and the most current book (Cheater Pants) which is due to be published in May. ISBN numbers were either a) taken directly from a copy in my hand or b) taken from amazon.