Yesterday was Barbara Parks’s birthday.  She would have been 72, but she passed away in 2013 after a long battle with ovarian cancer.

If you are a parent of children over the age of eight, you probably know that Barbara Parks writes the Junie B. Jones books and you may have strong feelings one way or the other about those books.  As a mom and former educator, I was never really a fan of the books.  There is no denying their popularity, however, and I am a fan of anything that gets kids reading so I am a huge fan of Barbara Parks

If you aren’t familiar with the books, the series begins with Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus, where an almost-six-year-old Junie is starting kindergarten and takes us through such adventures as “That Meanie Jim’s Birthday”, Junie B. almost being a flower girl, being Captain of field day, finally starting first grade, and being shipwrecked.  There are a total of 28 books in the series with four supplemental books that include a journal, puzzle book, guide to school, and book of Valentines. 

Junie B. is a regular on the challenged book list because of her poor grammar, smart mouth, and bad behavior.  All of those work together to make the Junie B. books funny and realistic, but Junie B. may not be the best role model.  Challenged or not, their popularity is undeniable and Junie B.’s mark on the world will be long lasting!