Barbara Lynne Park (formerly Tidswell; April 21, 1947 – November 15, 2013) was an American author of

children's books A child (plural, : children) is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers ...

Life and career

Barbara Park was the daughter of a merchant and a secretary, Doris and Brooke Tidswell. She and her older brother grew up in

Mount Holly, New Jersey Mount Holly is a township that is the county seat of Burlington County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is an eastern suburb of Philadelphia, the nation's sixth largest city as of 2020, As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township's population w ...

. Park graduated from

Rancocas Valley Regional High School Rancocas Valley Regional High School is a regional high school and public school district serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from five communities in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. The district encompasses approxi ...

in 1965. From 1965 to 1967, she attended

Rider College Rider University is a private university in Lawrence Township, New Jersey. It consists of four academic units: the Norm Brodsky College of Business, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the College of Education and Human Services, and West ...

, finishing her

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

in 1969 at the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

. She married Richard A. Park in 1969. She lived in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

for almost 30 years and had two sons, Steven and David. The couple had two grandsons. She was the author of the popular ''

Junie B. Jones ''Junie B. Jones'' is a children's book series written by Barbara Park and illustrated by Denise Brunkus. Published by Random House from 1992 to 2013, the story centers on "almost six-year-old" Junie B. Jones and her adventures in kindergarten an ...

'' children's books. The series was aimed at young readers and included around 30 different titles. The series has sold over 55 million copies in North America alone. She also wrote many middle-grade novels, such as ''The Kid in the Red Jacket.'' Park won seven Children's Choice Awards and four Parents' Choice Awards.

Death

Park died on November 15, 2013, at her home in

Scottsdale, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Winfield Scott , image_skyline = , image_seal = Seal of Scottsdale (Arizona).svg , image_blank_emblem = City of Scottsdale Script Logo.svg , nick ...

, at the age of 66, from

ovarian cancer Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different c ...

Works

References

External links

Junie B. Jones
at publisher

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

* 1981–2013 {{DEFAULTSORT:Park, Barbara 1947 births 2013 deaths American children's writers Deaths from cancer in Arizona People from Mount Holly, New Jersey Deaths from ovarian cancer Rancocas Valley Regional High School alumni Rider University alumni University of Alabama alumni Writers from Phoenix, Arizona Writers from New Jersey