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 (Steven and David) and spent time with her two young grandsons. Her plan wasn't always to be a famous writer. She actually intended to be a High School History teacher. She did get her degree in secondary education, but soon decided writing was her calling. From there, Park went on to write forty-plus books, from the picture book Ma! There’s Nothing to Do Here!, 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 over forty children’s book awards, including several Children’s Choice Awards.
Barbara once said: "There are those who believe that the value of a children’s book can be measured only in terms of the moral lessons it tries to impose or the perfect role models it offers. Personally, I happen to think that a book is of extraordinary value if it gives the reader nothing more than a smile or two. In fact, I happen to think that’s huge."
Park is best known for her Junie B. Jones series. The Junie B. Jones books are stories about a quirky kindergartner and her everyday life experiences. Through Junie B., Barbara Park has kept kids and adults alike laughing for over twenty-years. Park’s Junie B. Jones series was named as one of New York Times’ #1 bestselling book for over 180 weeks and has sold over 55 million copies in North America, been translated into multiple different languages and can be found in almost any primary school setting. Barbara and her beloved series have been featured in Time Magazine, Newsweek, USA Today, The New York Times and Today.
Not only was Barbara passionate about writing, but she was very passionate about charitable foundations. She helped some kids' wishes come true for the Make A Wish Foundation by meeting with them. Park also founded her own organization called Sisters in Survival or SIS. SIS is a non-profit foundation dedicated to offering financial aid to ovarian cancer patients. This organization is an all-volunteer organization, and all donations go directly to women struggling with ovarian cancer. Barbara’s family continues to run SIS. Unfortunately, in Barbara Park lost her own battle with Ovarian Cancer. She died on November 15, 2013, after fighting ovarian cancer heroically for seven years.
Barbara once said: "There are those who believe that the value of a children’s book can be measured only in terms of the moral lessons it tries to impose or the perfect role models it offers. Personally, I happen to think that a book is of extraordinary value if it gives the reader nothing more than a smile or two. In fact, I happen to think that’s huge."
Park is best known for her Junie B. Jones series. The Junie B. Jones books are stories about a quirky kindergartner and her everyday life experiences. Through Junie B., Barbara Park has kept kids and adults alike laughing for over twenty-years. Park’s Junie B. Jones series was named as one of New York Times’ #1 bestselling book for over 180 weeks and has sold over 55 million copies in North America, been translated into multiple different languages and can be found in almost any primary school setting. Barbara and her beloved series have been featured in Time Magazine, Newsweek, USA Today, The New York Times and Today.
Not only was Barbara passionate about writing, but she was very passionate about charitable foundations. She helped some kids' wishes come true for the Make A Wish Foundation by meeting with them. Park also founded her own organization called Sisters in Survival or SIS. SIS is a non-profit foundation dedicated to offering financial aid to ovarian cancer patients. This organization is an all-volunteer organization, and all donations go directly to women struggling with ovarian cancer. Barbara’s family continues to run SIS. Unfortunately, in Barbara Park lost her own battle with Ovarian Cancer. She died on November 15, 2013, after fighting ovarian cancer heroically for seven years.