Growing up, books were my toys.  And they still are.  I don’t know what my life would be without reading.  And it all started with the Junie B. Jones series by Barbra Parks.

I remember reading them at bedtime with my mother and grandmother.  I would always laugh out loud.  Junie B. and all her adventures at school were hilarious.

Eventually, of course, I grew out of them.  But they will always have a special place in my heart because they were some of the first books I remember reading.  When I learned that Barbra Parks passed away – I think it was my freshman year in college – I was shocked.  My childhood was over.

Parks wrote a lot of books in the series.  I’m not exactly sure how many, but there always seemed to be a new one when I walked into the bookstore.  Except now, there are no more.  It’s sad.  Really sad.  Kids today might not ever discover the books.  That would be the saddest thing of all.  If Junie B. Jones is lost to time, it will be the end of an era.

Bedtime Stories