Barbara Park
Barbara Park
Barbara Lynne Parkwas an American author of children's books...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionChildren's Author
Date of Birth21 April 1947
CityMount Holly, NJ
CountryUnited States of America
children perfect oxymoron
I find the term perfect child to be an oxymoron.
teacher children kids
I was a good kid, but I was just very chatty. Teachers were rarely entertained, but occasionally a child was, which was enough for me. Everything was so urgent. I needed to say it immediately.
children believe book
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.
assuming based began jones people since
Ever since I began writing my Junie B. Jones series, people have been assuming that the character is based on me when I was a little girl. The fact is, though, that Junie B. and I have very little in common.
looked swollen
My own pregnancies were all about me, me, me. My aches, my pains, my swollen feet, and my body that looked like the Michelin Man.
stopped
I've stopped reading about my books on the Internet because it's too hurtful.
comment common gray looks lowest
I like to think that Junie B. looks at the world - and this isn't a negative comment on her - from the lowest common denominator. It's not all gray to her; it's all black and white.
Of all the novels I've written, my favorite is 'Mick Harte Was Here'.
gotten work
For 20 years I've gotten to laugh my way through my work. For me, that's a dream job.
All of my characters are less than perfect.
board bring education father grade hard home note president principal sent time
I wasn't that over-the-top, but I got sent to the principal in first grade for talking. And my father was for a long time the president of the Board of Education. That was always a hard note to bring home.
based criteria entirely official
My criteria for what makes a book an official 'favorite,' is based almost entirely on how desperately I don't want the story to end.
readers reluctant
There are many reluctant young readers who haven't yet found books that make them laugh.
common object simplest stuff
I find that when I'm struggling to think of how a six-year-old would feel about something, I just have to go right down to the common denominator, find the simplest way that you can look at an object or a problem, and not muck it up with all of the stuff that adults do and over-analyze.