On November 15, 2013, best selling author Barbara Parks passed away after fighting ovarian cancer. Parks was only 66, however during her career she was able to create amazing children's books that captured everyone's attention. However, what Parks has left behind goes deeper than just her stories. One character in particular, Junie B. Jones, lives on by serving as a role model to everyone. Take a look at five memorable moments of smart-mouth Junie B. Jones's life that sets an example everyone should follow.
1. She was never judgmental, despite others' opinion.
In "Junie B. Jones and Her Big Fat Mouth," Junie shows us how to voice our opinion, and not care what everyone else thinks. A cop and a dentist came to her kindergarten class to talk about what their career is like, however Junie's attention was on the janitor that came in. When she explained to the class that she wanted to be a janitor, she was laughed at. However, this did not stop Junie B. from getting to know the janitor and seeing the hard work and effort that was behind his job that everyone else judged. She was open-minded and gave everyone a chance.
2. She Took Chances.
Junie B. Jones hated that school bus and itssmell. However, instead of putting up with it like other kids, she took the chance and hid from it after school. Even though this got her in trouble, she was able to experience the after school life that no kindergartener had ever dreamed of experiencing. Because of her courage and ignoring the fear of getting in trouble, she lived on the edge experiencing what life had to offer.
3. She was innovative.
When it was "bring your pet to school" day, Junie B. was in a panic. Her parents would not let her have a pet, but she refused to be the only student to not bring one in. What does she do? Take a look at the picture above. Junie B. was always full of ideas.
4. She was ambitious.
Practice makes perfect, but when Junie B. ran out of things to practice on to follow her new dream of becoming a hairdresser, she had to take new risks. She got the scissors and chopped her own hair. Although she gave herself a crazy, choppy haircut, she proved to us to never be afraid to follow your dreams. And in order to follow them, you may have to do crazy things you would never had dreamed of doing.
5. She was a leader.
When it came to field day, room eight always won. But not this year. Junie B. Jones was captain, and she wanted to take room nine to victory. She devised plans and took it upon herself to make sure the team would work together and win this competition. Even at age 6, she set a perfect example on how to be a leader.
Junie B. Jones showed us it was okay to make mistakes and get in trouble sometimes ... or all the time. She was perfectly imperfect and taught children to speak their voice and be heard no matter what anyone else says. Barbara Parks gave us a role model for children that was not rich or famous, but rather an average girl with a lot of attitude and ambition.
Thank you Barbara Parks, for not only filling our childhood with creative stories, but also showing us how to be the kind of person we want to be.
