Barbara Park Quotes
Born: April 21, 1947
Barbara Park, best known as the beloved author of the Junie B. Jones series, was a master of capturing the raw, unfiltered emotions of the human heart. While her work often focused on childhood, her deepest legacy lies in her profound insights into love and connection. Park believed that true bonds are forged not in grand gestures, but in the messy, imperfect moments of everyday life. Her philosophy celebrated vulnerability, laughter, and the quiet strength found in simple togetherness. Readers are drawn to her quotes because they strip away pretense, offering a comforting truth: that love is less about perfection and more about showing up, with all your heart.
Barbara Park Quotes (16)
"There are many reluctant young readers who haven't yet found books that make them laugh."
— Barbara Park"All of my characters are less than perfect."
— Barbara Park"I'm so lazy as far as liking to get up, go to the office in my pajamas, get dressed about noon. And I hate flying. So I have this really laid-back, good lifestyle, and it's hard to nudge me out of it."
— Barbara Park"I wasn't that over-the-top, but I got sent to the principal in first grade for talking. And my father was for a long time the president of the Board of Education. That was always a hard note to bring home."
— Barbara Park"My senior year of high school, I was voted 'Wittiest.' So, several years later, I decided to try my hand at writing humor to see if I could be witty enough to make some money."
— Barbara Park"I like to think that Junie B. looks at the world - and this isn't a negative comment on her - from the lowest common denominator. It's not all gray to her; it's all black and white."
— Barbara Park"I'm not actually sure I'm grown-up enough for grown-up books."
— Barbara Park"Ever since I began writing my Junie B. Jones series, people have been assuming that the character is based on me when I was a little girl. The fact is, though, that Junie B. and I have very little in common."
— Barbara Park"Society just has a way of inhibiting you, which is good and bad."
— Barbara Park"My criteria for what makes a book an official 'favorite,' is based almost entirely on how desperately I don't want the story to end."
— Barbara Park"For 20 years I've gotten to laugh my way through my work. For me, that's a dream job."
— Barbara Park"My own pregnancies were all about me, me, me. My aches, my pains, my swollen feet, and my body that looked like the Michelin Man."
— Barbara Park"Of all the novels I've written, my favorite is 'Mick Harte Was Here'."
— Barbara Park"I was a good kid, but I was just very chatty. Teachers were rarely entertained, but occasionally a child was, which was enough for me. Everything was so urgent. I needed to say it immediately."
— Barbara Park"I find the term 'perfect child' to be an oxymoron."
— Barbara Park"I've stopped reading about my books on the Internet because it's too hurtful."
— Barbara Park