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Barbara Park

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Barbara Park
BornBarbara Lynne Tidswell
(1947-04-21)April 21, 1947
Mount Holly, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedNovember 15, 2013(2013-11-15) (aged 66)
Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.
OccupationAuthor
NationalityAmerican
GenreChildren's literature
Notable worksJunie B. Jones
Spouse
Richard A. Park
​
(m. 1969)​
Children2

Barbara Lynne Park (née Tidswell; April 21, 1947 – November 15, 2013) was an American author of children's books.

Early life

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Barbara Lynne Tidswell was born in Mount Holly, New Jersey, on April 21, 1947.[1] Her father was Brooke Tidswell Jr, a banker, the local board of education president, and the owner of a home improvement store. Her mother, Doris Tidswell, was a high school library secretary.[2] She had a brother, also named Brooke, who was two years older than her;[3] he went on to become mayor of Mount Holly.[4] Tidswell described her younger self as a tattletale—especially against her brother—and would tell on people so they learn their lesson "for their own good".[5] She hoped to be on the television show The Mickey Mouse Club.[3] Each year, her family took a two-week summer trip to Long Beach Island.[5] She later spoke positively about her childhood.[6] As a child, she enjoyed the Thornton W. Burgess story collection Burgess Bird for Children and the Nancy Drew books.[7] She more often read comics, such as Richie Rich, Archie Comics, and Uncle Scrooge.[7]

As a teenager, Tidswell moved away from comics and read books more frequently. Reading The Catcher in the Rye redefined how she saw literature and impressed on her how to present a character like Holden Caulfield.[8] She graduated from Rancocas Valley Regional High School in 1965.[3]

Tidswell began her post-secondary education at Rider College in Lawrence Township, New Jersey, which she attended for two years.[3] She then went to the University of Alabama where she graduated in 1969 with a bachelor's degree.[1][9][a] She had her ears pierced by someone living down the hall while she was in college, later describing herself as an "idiot" for doing this.[3]

Tidswell's intention was to become a high school history teacher,[12] but she lost interest in teaching after spending a year as a student teacher in a seventh grade class.[11] Tiswell married Richard A. Park in 1969 and had two sons, Steven and David.[1] They lived in various places around the United States while Richard was in the U.S. Air Force and then moved to Arizona.[10] She lived in Phoenix, Arizona, for the last 30 years of her life.[11]

Writing career

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Further information: Bibliography of Barbara Park

Barbara Park began writing while she was raising her children as a way to express her sense of humor.[9][13] Because she was home with children while writing, she was able to adapt their speech patterns and behaviors into her work to write child characters.[11] The first children's book Park sent to publishers was Operation: Dump the Chump. The manuscript was accepted by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. after three other publishers passed on it, and she entered into a three-book deal with them. The first of her books to be published by Knopf was Don't Make Me Smile in 1981.[9] The book addressed divorce from the perspective of a 10-year-old boy whose parents were separating.[1] The following year, Knopf published her two other books, Operation: Dump the Chump and Skinnybones.[9]

Park began publishing the Junie B. Jones chapter books in 1992, starting with Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus.[11] Unlike her previous works, this was targeted at younger children.[11] Junie B. Jones was Park's most well-known work, and the series was controversial and frequently challenged because of the titular character's poor behavior and bad grammar.[12] She worked with the illustrator Denise Brunkus.[1]

Park published a novel, Mick Harte Was Here, in 1995.[9] It told a story about the death of a sibling,[1] and encouraged children to wear helmets when riding a bicycle.[9] She consider this her favorite of the books she wrote.[3]

Park won seven Children's Choice Awards and four Parents' Choice Awards.[12] She was private and did not seek celebrity status.[14] She sometimes met children through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.[12] She refused to allow adaptations of her work outside of stage plays because she wished to be involved with any adaptation personally and plays were the only type she felt she had time for.[11]

Park was afflicted with ovarian cancer, which she had for approximately seven years. She and her husband founded a nonprofit for women with ovarian cancer, Sisters in Survival. She died on November 15, 2013, in Scottsdale, Arizona.[12]

Style and themes

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Park developed a reputation for dealing with serious subject matter in a lighthearted way.[1][15]

Park's characters frequently find themselves in embarrassing situations around other children.[16]

Park cited Judy Blume as an influence—Blume in turn complimented the Junie B. Jones series and has sometimes been mistaken as their writer.[11]

Park rejected the idea that children's books must teach morals, instead seeing simple entertainment as a legitimate purpose for a children's book.[12]

As part of her writing process, Park kept paper, pencil, and flashlight on her nightstand to write down ideas in the middle of the night.[3]

Park's portrayal of parents in her works reflected her own family life. She was raised in a supportive home and never saw her parents fight, and this held true for all of her characters.[17]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Fox, Margalit (2013-11-19). "Barbara Park, Author of Junie B. Jones Series, Dies at 66". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2014-04-20. Retrieved 2025-03-06.
  2. ^ Abrams 2006, p. 20.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Park, Barbara. "About Barbara Park". Random House. Archived from the original on 2007-02-24.
  4. ^ Abrams 2006, p. 22.
  5. ^ a b Abrams 2006, p. 24.
  6. ^ Abrams 2006, p. 19.
  7. ^ a b Abrams 2006, p. 25.
  8. ^ Abrams 2006, pp. 25–27.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g Maughan, Shannon. "Junie B. Jones Creator Barbara Park Dies at 66". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2025-03-06.
  10. ^ a b Abrams 2006, p. 15.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h Cordova, Randy (2023-11-17). "Barbara Park, Junie B. Jones author, dead at 66". The Arizona Republic. Archived from the original on 2020-09-24.
  12. ^ a b c d e f Reaney, Patricia (2013-11-18). "Children's author, Barbara Park, dies of cancer". Reuters. Retrieved 2025-03-06.
  13. ^ Abrams 2006, pp. 15–16.
  14. ^ Abrams 2006, p. 14.
  15. ^ Abrams 2006, p. 12.
  16. ^ Abrams 2006, pp. 21–22.
  17. ^ Abrams 2006, p. 21.
  1. ^ Park's degree has been described as a bachelor's of education[10][11] or of history and political science.[1][9]

Works cited

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