Junie B. Jones- Has A Peep In Her Pocket [Paperback]

Barbara Park (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: NY (1980)
• ASIN: B000MUAHS8
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)

More About the Author

I grew up in Mt. Holly, New Jersey. It was a small town surrounded by farmland . . . the kind of town where you greet people by name on Main Street. It was only an hour's drive to the ocean. So every summer we spent family vacations on Long Beach Island. My brother and I would ride the waves during the day and play miniature golf at night. It's the kind of idyllic memory that stays in your head long after you've grown up and moved away.
After graduating from high school and spending two years at Rider University, I transferred to the University of Alabama where I met my husband, Richard. Eventually his job brought him to Arizona. We both fell in love with the desert and wanted to stay here forever. Still, during the heat of the Arizona summers, those ocean memories would come rushing back. So-after years of sweaty summers-my husband and I finally built a house on Long Beach Island, the same island where my brother and I rode the waves as kids. In the story business, that's called "coming full circle." These days, Richard and I divide our time between the desert and the ocean. In the words of Junie B. Jones, I'm a lucky duck.

Q. What inspired you to start writing?

In my case, it was sort of "reverse" inspiration. I got a degree in secondary education. My plan was to teach high school history and political science. But, because of a scheduling problem my senior year, I ended up doing my student teaching in the seventh grade. The word disaster doesn't really cover this one. I'll spare you the details. But as I ran screaming from the school building every day, I knew that I would never be a teacher. My husband and I married after graduation, and started a family. A few years later, when I was ready to go to work, I was still haunted by the memories of student teaching. So I was "inspired" to try my hand at writing instead.

Q. How did you go about getting published?

The first children's novel I wrote was Operation: Dump the Chump. As soon as it was finished, I bought a copy of Writer's Market, found some addresses, and started sending it off to publishers who were accepting unsolicited manuscripts. It was rejected three times. All three rejections managed to work in the classic industry one-liner, "It isn't right for our list."

The fourth time I sent it to Alfred Knopf, Inc. A few weeks later, they called and said it was exactly right for their list. I felt like I'd hit the lottery.

Q: You've written middle-grade novels, early chapter books, and picture books. Which do you like writing best?

I can't really say which I like best. But after all the Junie B. books I've written, those certainly come the easiest. The middle-grade novels are more of a challenge. But in some ways, that makes them more rewarding. The last two I've written (Mick Harte Was Here and The Graduation of Jake Moon) were both about very sensitive topics, so it took a long time to get them exactly right. But I think those two books have made me the most proud.

Q. Tell us about your most recent picture book.

It's called, MA! There's Nothing to Do Here! It's about a baby in utero who is bored out of his mind. The idea for it was born (so to speak) when my daughter-in-law, Renee, invited me to my first grandson's ultrasound. Although I had never had an ultrasound myself, I'd seen pictures of other babies in utero. But I wasn't prepared for how amazing it would be to see my own little grandbaby on that screen. I felt like I was watching the Discovery Channel.

Q. How much did you continue to think about the baby after seeing the ultrasound? How did this develop into the idea for the book?

A. On the way out of the doctor's office, I remember thinking, Okay, so now we're all going back to our busy lives. But the baby is still in there just floating around. Except for an occasional kick or hiccup, he's got absolutely nothing to do.

A few months later-when I was getting ready to give Renee a baby shower-I wrote this poem, framed it, and gave it to her as a shower gift.

Q. Of the characters you've created, who is your favorite?

A. This would be a bit like picking a favorite child. I don't have a single favorite character, but again, I lived with the characters Mick and Phoebe Harte and Jake and Skelly Moon for a very long time. So those four are the most dear to me.

The characters I've had the most fun with have been the little ones. Little kids are so free to say whatever is on their minds. They aren't silenced by peer pressure and the notion that they have to sound cool. Molly Vera Thompson in The Kid in the Red Jacket is six, and Thomas Russo in My Mother Got Married and Other Disasters is five. They both were such fun to write about that they led to the creation of Junie B. Jones.

Q. Is Junie B. modeled after you as a child? Did you ever do any of the things that Junie B. does?

A. I was sent to "Principal" in first grade for talking. There were lots of notes sent home that year, as well. My father was on the Board of Education. Not good.

Q. There's been some criticism of the Junie-speak in the series. How do you answer concerns that Junie's grammar is not good for young readers?

A. Honestly, most of the grown-ups I hear from are writing to tell me that Junie B. Jones got their reluctant readers to read. I have drawers full of letters from parents and teachers that are so meaningful to me, I can't bear to part with them. These are adults who understand that fictional literature plays a whole different role in children's lives than a book of grammar or a basic reader.

That having been said, there are always going to be a handful of people who denigrate books that speak in a voice other than their own. I've stopped trying to explain the concept of literature to people like that. Wasted time better spent.

8. What makes you laugh?

My sense of humor is a little bit off-center, I think. In the movies, I usually laugh at parts that no one else seems to think are funny. Then there are movies like Young Frankenstein where I laugh from the opening scene straight through to the end.

Lots of other things make me laugh, as well. My husband and sons make me laugh. My dog. My grandsons. Friends. The absurdities of life. My lopsided cakes. The list goes on . . .

What advice do you have for teachers that are aspiring writers? For kids?

There's nothing revolutionary in my advice, I'm afraid. It's the same old stuff. Write as much and as often as you can. Try different genres to find your niche. Then rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. And-above all-be your own worst critic.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A mom's opinion, October 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Junie B. Jones Has a Peep in Her Pocket (Junie B. Jones, No. 15) (Paperback)

My daughter discovered the Junie B. Jones books sometime in the middle of her elementary grade years. She is now in 7th grade, and still eagerly awaits each new addition to the series. We have had the most fun sharing them together. Long after she didn't really feel the need for me to read to her at bedtime anymore, we still spent that precious time reading the newest book to each other whenever we brought one home. I cherish not only that opportunity, but the fact that certain expressions or phrases or word combinations that come up in everyday life will remind both of us: "that sounds like Junie B. Jones!" It happens more often that one would think, and we have an instant inside joke that we can chuckle over together. Sometimes an awkward or difficult moment can be gotten through more easily because one of us will adopt Junie B's way of expressing her feelings. I must comment on the complaints about the grammar. I agree that it is not poor grammar - it is just Junie's unique way of naming and expressing from her naive point of view. If a parent feels worried that her child will be confused or mislead by Junie's usage, perhaps it is best to wait a year or two before reading these books, when the child can better appreciate Junie's naive, childlike viewpoint. In fact, it is all the more funny as the reader gets older and can better appreciate how really innocent she is at her kindergarten level. We all have our memories of how blind we were to certain realities of life when we were little. Thanks to Barbara Park, Junie B. Jones tells us how it is for her in the most hilarious way!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great books to help get your young reader hooked on reading, June 7, 2000

By 

S.Hite "califstacy" (Avalon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Junie B. Jones Has a Peep In Her Pocket (Library Binding)

My 6 year old son didn't care for reading until I bought a few of the Junie B. Jones books. They are very funny and entertaining and keep the kids interested. We have every Junie B. book and are always on the look out for new ones. These books are interesting enough, have large enough print and are the perfect length for my son to read alone. They gave him the self-confidence he needed to realize that he could read the book without help and that it was actually fun. My son also asks to read Junie B. to his 4 year old sister. He also enjoys picking out the grammar errors and laughes at that silly kindergartner. My kids enjoy trying to mimic Junie B.'s cute sayings like "Speedy quick" etc. My husband and I also enjoy reading Junie B. Jones. Great family reading!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Junie B. Has a Peep in Her Pocket, June 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Junie B. Jones Has a Peep in Her Pocket (Junie B. Jones, No. 15) (Paperback)

We love Junie B.! Every Friday one of the girls (aged 7 & 9) will bring a Barbara Park book home from the library and she gets to read it to all of us. Junie B. is great because it is written as though she (Junie B) is speaking to you and telling you about her day.

In this book school is about over and Room 9 is going a field trip -- to a FARM. Everyone is excited except Junie B. In Junie B. Smells Something Fishy that Meannie Jim told her roosters will peck your head to a nub. And too bad for her 'cause she saw the TV show called When Ponies Attack and now she is mortal afraid of ponies. That's not the worst of it. . .they have roosters AND ponies on farms! Her mother and father, Mrs. and the farmer all talk Junie B. into going on the trip. She has a great time and falls in love with Peep, a fuzzy yellow chick until she finds out that this soft, little, yellow ball will turn into a rooster.