“Where are the books about kids like us?” Beverly Cleary took this question to heart and ended up writing dozens of children’s books featuring ordinary kids, the most famous being Ramona Quimby and Henry Huggins.
Today would have been Beverly Cleary’s 105th birthday. When she passed away last month, the world lost a beloved author.
I have reread several of her books as an adult and marvel at her genius for describing childhood feelings, problems, and antics. I will happily continue reading them aloud to my kids!
In my most recent post for Women’s History Month I included a picture book biography of Beverly Cleary. Just Like Beverly by Vicki Conrad explores her childhood in Oregon, including activities readers will recognize from her books, like playing brick factory and making her own stilts. It shows her overcoming struggles and deciding to write books about kids like her when she was growing up. Beverly Cleary went to college in California and was a children’s librarian before her husband Clarence pushed her to actually start writing. This picture book ends with the publication of Henry Huggins and creation of the character Ramona Quimby. In my mind the illustrations by David Hohn suit the book perfectly. If you like books about authors, take a look at this one (and I’ll add a plug for my post on picture books about Virginia Lee Burton and J.R.R. Tolkien).
Another book about Beverly Cleary’s books is The Art of Ramona Quimby: Sixty-Five Years of Illustrations from Beverly Cleary’s Beloved Books. Published in 2020, this book compares the work of five artists who have illustrated the Ramona books since 1955. I haven’t checked it out yet, but it sounds fun.
You might also enjoy these short interviews with Beverly Cleary, one when she was 90, the other just before she turned 100.
Did you know there are statues of some of Beverly Cleary’s characters, including Henry, Ribsy, and Ramona, at Grant Park in Portland, Oregon? I’d love to revisit the Pacific Northwest (I had a good time in Spokane, Washington, but never made it to Portland) and if I do I would hunt down those statues, especially if travelling with kids.
Finally, here’s a post by children’s author Caroline Starr Rose that captures what Beverly Cleary meant to so many.
The only one I remember as a little kid is Henry Huggins. I guess Ramona came a bit after my young childhood! Or at least my library didn’t have those ones.