Beverly biography child cleary author

Beverly Cleary created some of the most beloved children’s book characters of the 20th century. Writing about the children in her own neighborhood, Cleary’s stories of the rambunctious youth of Klickitat and Tillamook Streets have sold more than 91 million copies and changed the genre. For more than half a century, she wrote stories that allowed kids to see themselves in the books. 

Beverly Atlee Bunn was born on April 12, in McMinnville, Oregon. Up until the age of six, Cleary—an only child—lived on her family farm in nearby Yamhill. The town was small and did not have a library, so Cleary’s mother arranged for the State Library to send books to Yamhill. Her mother then acted as the town librarian in a room upstairs from a bank. The young Cleary learned to love books and reading. When her family lost the farm, they moved to northeast Portland’s Hollywood neighborhood and her father found work as a bank security guard. When the Great Depression hit, her father lost his job. 

Despite her mother’s efforts to bring books to the young Cleary, she was put into the low reading circle when she started school in Portland. This did not diminish Cleary's love of books, and by third grade she was a much better reader and spent most of her time surrounded by books—either at home or at the library. The books she devoured as a child were disappointing, telling stories of aristocratic English children with nannies and ponies or poor children whose problems disappeared when long-lost rich relatives showed up and solved their problems. Cleary found the stories and characters unrelatable and she decided that when she grew up, she would write stories about the sort of children she knew—children who played and sometimes caused trouble. 

After high school, Cleary attended Chaffey Junior College in Ontario, California before enrolling at the University of California at Berkley, from which she graduated in She then received a degree from the University of Washington’s school of libr

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about beverly cleary

American writer (–)

Beverly Atlee Cleary (née Bunn; April 12, &#;&#; March 25, ) was an American writer of children's and young adult fiction. One of America's most successful authors, 91&#;million copies of her books have been sold worldwide since her first book was published in Some of her best known characters are Ramona Quimby and Beezus Quimby, Henry Huggins and his dog Ribsy, and Ralph S. Mouse.

The majority of Cleary's books are set in the Grant Park neighborhood of northeast Portland, Oregon, where she was raised, and she has been credited as one of the first authors of children's literature to figure emotional realism in the narratives of her characters, often children in middle-class families. Her first children's book was Henry Huggins, which she wrote after receiving a question from a child when Cleary was a librarian. Cleary won the National Book Award for Ramona and Her Mother and the Newbery Medal for Dear Mr. Henshaw. For her lifetime contributions to American literature, she received the National Medal of Arts, recognition as a Library of Congress Living Legend, and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal from the Association for Library Service to Children. The Beverly Cleary School, a public school in Portland, was named after her, and several statues of her most famous characters were erected in Grant Park in Cleary died on March 25, , at the ag

Mrs. Cleary's books have earned her many prestigious awards, including the John Newbery Medal for Dear Mr. Henshaw. Additionally, Ramona and Her Father and Ramona Quimby, Age 8 were named and Newbery Honor Books, respectively.

Among Mrs. Cleary's other awards are the American Library Association's Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, the Catholic Library Association's Regina Medal, and the University of Southern Mississippi's Silver Medallion, all presented in recognition of her lasting contribution to children's literature. Mrs. Cleary was also the United States author nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Award, a prestigious international award. In , to honor her invaluable contributions to children's literature, Beverly Cleary was named a Living Legend by the Library of Congress. And in , she was given the National Medal of Art from the National Endowment of the Arts.

In her ever-popular Ramona series was made into a movie, Ramona and Beezus, and in she received the Los Angeles Times Robert Kirsch Award, marking the first time this honor has gone to an author of books for children.

With all of these honors, of greatest importance to Beverly Cleary were the more than thirty-five statewide awards her books received, based on the direct votes of her young readers.

To celebrate her monumental one hundredth birthday in , three of her books were reissued with forewords by literary luminaries Judy Blume, Amy Poehler, and Kate DiCamillo. And in , her first series—the Henry Huggins books—was reissued with original art from the late Louis Darling. These six titles included forewords by award-winning authors and artists Tony DiTerlizzi, Marla Frazee, Tom Angleberger, Jeff Kinney, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, and Cece Bell.

Mrs. Cleary is not only a beloved author in the United States; her legacy has spread internationally. Her books have been published in twenty-nine languages and her characters, including Henry Huggins, Ellen Tebbits, Otis Spo