Junie B. Jones

"My name is Junie B. Jones.  The B stands for Beatrice.  Except I don't like Beatrice.  I just like B and that's all.

I am a bachelorette.

A bachelorette is when your boyfriend named Ricardo dumps you at recess.  Only I wasn't actually expecting that terrible trouble.

It happened today on the playground.

First, I was playing horses with my friends Lucille and Grace.

Then, all of a sudden, my boyfriend named Ricardo runned right past me.

And he was chasing a new girl named Thelma!

"Ricardo!"  I hollered real loud  Hey, Ricardo, 'Zactly what do you think you are doing, mister?"

Then I zoomed right after that guy.  And I tackled him on the grass.  And we wrestled.  And tangled.  And rolled all around.

Finally, I sat on his legs.  And I smoothed my hair very attractive.

"Hello, Ricardo,"  I said.  "How are you today?  I am fine.  Only, I just saw you chasing new Thelma.  And so please knock it off.  And I mean it."

Ricardo raised his eyebrows very surprised.

"Why?  How come?"  he said.

I sucked in my cheeks at that guy. 

"Because, Ricardo.  Because I am your girlfriend.  And you are my boyfriend.  And boyfriends and girlfriends are only allowed to chase each other.  That's how come.""

And thus begins Junie B. Jones Is (almost) a Flower Girl (Junie B. Jones, No. 13)

The Junie B.  books were written by Barbara Park.  A fun, wonderful romp through those early elementary years, Junie B. is a captivating character who gets into mischief, does things all of our kids did when they were that age, and has adventures we only hope our kids don't have!

Junie B. is very near and dear to my heart.  We own all of the Junie B. books.  When my kids were little, we used to sit on the floor in the living room at night and read her stories.  I would sit on the floor, with the book in my hands.  Oldest son would sit behind me on the sofa, reading over my shoulder.  Middle son would sit on the floor on my right side, so that he could help turn the pages of the book.  Youngest child would sit in my lap, snuggle down with her blanket to hear of the latest adventures.  We would laugh so hard we would end up in tears over many of her adventures.

Junie B. is written as a first chapter book.  They were among the first chapter books that all of my kids read.

Long after my kids finished reading Junie B, I would find myself in a corner of the library, reading the latest Junie B. adventure while the kids searched for their own books.

Publisher's Weekly announced on Sunday that the author, Barbara Park died over the weekend from Ovarian Cancer.

I have to admit, I cried.  I love the characters that Barbara Park brought to life, but none more so than Junie B.  With her captivating style of writing, Barbara Park carried you into her world, and kept you firmly there until you finished the book.

To the family of Barbara Park, you have my condolences.  I hope you know how much of an impact she had on the world around her.  I hope you know how many kids she inspired, and how many she pulled into the world of reading with her charming books.  Her voice will be missed.

If you've never read any of the Junie B books, and you have young children, make the time to get over to your local public library and find some of her stories.  They are irreverent, they are funny, and they are charming.

If you'd like to see the announcement from Publisher's Weekly, it is here:
http://publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/obituaries/article/60045-junie-b-jones-creator-barbara-park-dies-at-66.html

Thank you so much for the memories, Barbara Park.


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