Over the Years

This project seeks to highlight not only Barbara Park’s influence on children’s literature in terms of creativity, wit, and voice, but also for her commentary on popular notions of femininity and the stereotypes that come along with it. As seen in multiple of the books in the Junie B. Jones series, Parks depicts Junie B. Jones as a rebellious and lively young girl who never turns down a good adventure. Whether Junie B. Jones is going to school for the first time or trying to navigate her way through her fears of monsters under the bed, one sock is usually illustrated as falling off halfway while her hair points in every direction. AND THIS IS AWESOME.

Not every female character in a book has to have perfect hair and polished shoes that match her perfect dress. Park realized that children are incredibly impressionable, and these standards are often unrealistic. Junie B. Jones’ personality is also a lot less conventional, as she speaks her mind and sometimes gets in trouble for it too. The way that Park writes these narratives is unique in her ability to provide comedy and relatability for kids who may not even be interested in reading in the first place. Her books read similar to a casual conversation between the reader and Junie B. Jones, and this makes for the perfect opportunity to trick a reluctant reader into actually reading a book and falling in love with it. Perhaps all of this is because of Park’s use of perspective that makes the stories read with a significant amount of relatability. Most children relate to the first day of school jitters, or losing their first tooth, just as Park depicts Junie B. Jones to experience as well.

In addition to the continuing success of her books, all of these themes have taken shape and become a theater production as well. Other adaptations of Park’s work includes online games and printable activities, but there are not a ton of products out there on the market besides the books that sell in packs (because you seriously can’t just read one).