Barbara Park was best-known as the creator and author of the
New York Times bestselling Junie B. Jones series, the stories of an
outrageously funny kindergartener that have kept kids (and their
grownups) laughing—and reading—for over two decades. The
series was consistently a #1 New York Times bestseller, spending
over 180 weeks on the list, and Barbara and her books were profiled
in such national outlets as Time, Newsweek, USA Today, the New
York Times, and Today.Barbara Park arrived at the writing
profession through an indirect route. Before becoming a bestselling
and beloved children’s author, she originally intended to teach
high school history and political science. She got her secondary
education degree but quickly realized that her calling was to be a
writer. After several rejections, Alfred A. Knopf
Books for Young Readers acquired her first manuscript,
Operation: Dump the Chump and two others. Don’t Make Me Smile
was published first in 1981, followed by Operation: Dump the Chump
(1982) and Skinnybones (1982). She went on to write
over 50 books, from the picture book Ma! There’s Nothing to Do
Here!, a love letter to her grandson, to middle grade novels such
as Skinnybones, The Kid in the Red Jacket, Mick Harte Was Here, and
The Graduation of Jake Moon. Barbara won more than 40
children’s book awards, including several Children’s Choice
Awards. Barbara Park was born in Mount Holly, New Jersey, on
April 21, 1947, and spent most of her adult life in Arizona. There
she, with her husband, Richard, raised her two sons and spent time
with her two young grandsons. Park died on November 15, 2013
after fighting ovarian cancer heroically for seven and a half
years.
Denise Brunkus is a children’s book illustrator. She has
illustrated more than 60 books, including the wildly popular Junie
B. Jones series and Read All About It! by Laura and Jenna Bush.
Praise for Junie B. Jones
"Junie B. is the darling of the young-reader set." —USA Today
"Park convinces beginning readers that Junie B.--and reading--are
lots of fun." —Publishers Weekly
"Junie's swarms of young fans will continue to delight in her
unique take on the world. . . . A hilarious, first-rate
read-aloud." —Kirkus Reviews
"Junie B. Jones is a feisty six-year-old with an endearing penchant
for honesty." —Time Magazine
"Park convinces beginning readers that Junie B.--and reading--are
lots of fun." —Publisher's Weekly
"Park, one of the funniest writers around . . . brings her
refreshing humor to the beginning chapter-book
set." —Booklist
"Readers will relate...she is always endearing and wonderfully
funny." —School Library Journal
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