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Illustrations of Beverly Cleary’s books by Louis Darling
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Beverly Cleary turned 102 this April! She is the author of 41 young adult books that have sold over 91 million copies.
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| Beverly Cleary, age 6 |
"If we finished our work, the teacher would say, 'Now don't read ahead.' But sometimes I hid the book I was reading behind my geography book and did read ahead. You can hide a lot behind a geography book." - Beverly Cleary
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| Beverly Cleary, in 1938 |
In 1939, Beverly Cleary was a children's librarian in Yakima, Washington, and then a librarian at the U.S. Army Hospital in Oakland, California.
Frustrated by the lack of children's books with realistic characters and situations, she started writing while working in a bookstore.
"If you don't see the book you want on the shelves, write it." - Beverly Cleary
Henry Huggins, a book about a boy in Oregon, a stray dog, and a humorous look at the problem-solving skills of a suburban 8-year-old, was published in 1950.
She followed with five more Henry books.
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Ramona receiving some unwelcome assistance from School Crossing Guard Henry Huggins. Illustration by Louis Darling
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Cleary also wrote stories about the other kids in Henry's Klickitat Street neighborhood. Ramona Geraldine Quimby, a younger, pesky sister, was never meant to be a main character . . .
"As a child, I disliked books in which children learned to be 'better' children."- Beverly Cleary
but Ramona became the best know of Cleary's fictional children.
"Quite often somebody will say, What year do your books take place? and the only answer I can give is, In childhood." - Beverly Cleary
She appeared in books spanning forty-four years from 1955 in Beezus and Ramona to 1999 in Ramona’s World.
"Love isn’t like a cup of sugar that gets used up." - Ramona's Mother, Mrs. Quimby
Bronze figures of Ramona, Henry, and Henry's dog Ribsy were dedicated on 1995 in Grant Park, Portland. Klickitat Street, where Henry and his friends live, is located a few blocks north of the park.
"I didn't start out writing to give children hope, but I'm glad some of them found it." - Beverly Cleary
#Book #Read #Kids #Cleary
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