Mary Lee Shalvoy

The character Junie B. Jones came to visit Books Inc. last week and charmed the kids.

"Junie B. Jones" talked non-stop, grabbed a variety of treasures from her "Big Pink Trunk of Junk" for a wacky show-and-tell (the cymbals were a nice, noisy touch) and generally ran amok around Books Inc. last Tuesday night.

June is Junie B. Jones month, of course, and the character honored the Park Street shop with a stop on her whirlwind "Stupid Smelly Bus Tour." It's a 25-city, cross-country excursion that promotes the silly 6-year-old star of the best-selling "Junie B. Jones" series of books written by Barbara Park and published by Random House. The series, launched in 1992, offers 27 books and an interactive journal, and has sold 44 million copies around the world.

For the crazy road trip, the vivacious Junie B. Jones character has a traveling companion in Mr. Woo, the driver of her bright pink school bus. While Junie B. entertained the audience (the 5- to 7-year-old set and their clearly bemused parents), Mr. Woo offered some adult supervision, although not quite enough to avoid the cymbal clanging. At one point in the 20 minutes of hilarity, either before or after the quick change into a bunny suit and the introduction of her stuffed elephant, Philip Johnny Bob, Junie B. proudly extracted the floaty ball from her toilet tank, proclaiming it her favorite plumbing supply.

Junie B. engaged the audience members with questions, but often they offered their own comments and squeals throughout the event, providing a bit of spontaneity. After show and tell, Junie B. stamped books for all the kids in the audience.

It's an exciting trip for Caitlin Thurnauer, who plays Junie B. Jones, and Jay Paranada, the often-befuddled Mr. Woo, who clearly relish and take their roles seriously. The best part of the gig for them is seeing the reaction of the thousands of children they meet on the road at bookstores, shopping centers, libraries and military centers. The two invite questions and interaction from their fans. The craziest question Junie B. and Mr. Woo have been asked on this tour? "Do you like pigs?"

In addition to the fun and games, the Junie B. Jones tour is also helping kids in need. During the month of June, Books Inc. has partnered with Random House, and for every two books in the Junie B. Jones series sold, one book is being donated to an organization called First Book. First Book is a nonprofit organization devoted to giving children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books.