"It's me! Junie B. Jones. The 'B' stands for Beatrice. Only I don't like Beatrice. I just like 'B' and that's all."
Ah, Junie B. Her antics made me laugh and cringe as a youngster. She had a bit of an attitude and a lot of good times in the 31 books written about her life. She was probably the first character to teach me about being sassy. She also had an elephant stuffed animal that went by the name of Phillip Johnny Bob. She had a distinct way of speaking that was different than most. She called her best friend That Grace, instead of just Grace. She was one of the best written, funny characters in any of the children's books I read as a youngster. Junie B. Jones was written by author Barbara Park, who has also written some books that are not a part of the Junie B. Jones series.
Junie B. gets involved in all sorts of escapades from spying from a laundry hamper to having her mittens stolen to trying to get along with her new baby brother. The one thing that you could always be sure of is that she would get into some sort of nonsense and keep her sense of humor. The great thing about Junie B. was that she was always a fun read. I know that I read the books multiple times over the years, and even read some to my little sister. Junie B. would love to know that her stories were fought over by the kids in my first-grade class, because she likes to be important. She also likes food fights and her grampa Frank Miller.
Junie B. Jones was a series that depicted both humor and a lesson to be learned through the stories. Along these same lines, Park has stated that: "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." While she may not have intended to leave readers with a lesson, she most certainly taught me that spying is bad and fruitcake can come in a shiny package.
But whatever happened to Junie B. Jones? The truth is, she never made it past the first grade. All of her books are stories of her in kindergarten or first grade. The last book Junie B., First Grader: Turkeys We Have Loved and Eaten (And other thankful stuff) was released in 2013. Unfortunately, we will never know what hijinks Junie B. will get into during the rest of her time in elementary school as Barbara Park passed away in November of 2013 after battling ovarian cancer. But her stories of Junie B. will continue to be loved by children for decades to come.
