Beverly Cleary

Beverly Cleary
Cleary in 1971
Born	Beverly Atlee Bunn (1916-04-12) April 12, 1916 McMinnville, Oregon, U.S.
Alma mater	University of California, Berkeley (B.A., English, 1938) University of Washington (Library Science degree)
Occupation	Writer, librarian
Notable work	Henry Huggins series Ramona series The Mouse and the Motorcycle Dear Mr. Henshaw
Spouse(s)	Clarence Cleary (m. 1940–2004)
Children	Marianne Elizabeth Cleary Malcolm James Cleary (Born 1955)
Awards	National Book Award 1981 Newbery Medal 1984 Laura Ingalls Wilder Award 1975
Website	beverlycleary.com

Beverly Cleary (born April 12, 1916) is an American writer of fiction for children and young adults. One of America's most successful writers of children's literature,^[1] she has sold 91 million copies of her books worldwide.^[2] Some of her best-known characters are Henry Huggins, Ribsy, Beatrice ("Beezus") Quimby, her sister Ramona Quimby, and Ralph S. Mouse. She won the 1981 National Book Award for Ramona and Her Mother^{[3][lower-alpha 1]} and the 1984 Newbery Medal for Dear Mr. Henshaw.

For her lifetime contributions to American literature Cleary has received the National Medal of Arts, recognition as a "Living Legend" by the Library of Congress, and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal from the children's librarians.

Early life, education and home life

Cleary was born Beverly Atlee Bunn, an only child, in McMinnville, Oregon.^[4][5] Until she was old enough to attend school, Cleary lived on a farm near the small town of Yamhill Because the town had no library, her mother arranged with the Oregon State Library to have books sent to Yamhill.^[6]

When Bunn six years old, her family left the farm and moved to Portland, Oregon, where she attended elementary and high school. At first she struggled with reading in the school setting, and later blamed this on dissatisfaction with the books she was required to read, and dislike of her first grade teacher. The change to city life took a toll on her health, and she was frequently ill, which provided a further setback to her schoolwork and reading skills.

In the second grade, Bunn made better progress under a more congenial teacher, and by the third grade both her reading skills and her enjoyment of reading had improved. She read The Dutch Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins, and became a frequent visitor to the library. Her favorite book as a young girl was Dandelion Cottage by Carroll Watson Rankin.^[7]

A grammar school librarian encouraged Bunn to check out books about subjects to which she could relate, and instilled in her the belief that she, too, could write for children some day.^[8]

In 1934, at age 18, Bunn moved to Ontario, California to attend Chaffey College, where she earned an Associate of Arts degree. She worked as a substitute librarian at the Ontario City Library, and went on to attend the University of California at Berkeley. After graduating with a B.A. in English in 1938 from Berkeley, she studied at the School of Librarianship at the University of Washington in Seattle, where she earned a degree in library science in 1939.

During the Great Depression, Cleary was a member of the University of California Student Cooperative Association (UCSCA), working in exchange for lower rent while attending college at Berkeley. Cleary lived at Stebbins Hall, the first all-women's co-op created in the association, and referred to her time there as "two of the most interesting years of my life".^[9] At this time she met Clarence Cleary, her future husband.^[8]

Bunn and Cleary married in 1940. They eloped because her parents, who were Presbyterians, did not approve of her union with the Roman Catholic Cleary. They moved to neighboring Oakland, California. The Clearys had twin children, Marianne Elizabeth and Malcolm James born in 1955. Clarence Cleary died in 2004. As of 2015, Beverly Cleary lives in Carmel, California.^[10]:209

Career

Cleary's first full-time job as a librarian was in Yakima, Washington, where she met young children at all socioeconomic levels. Many of them were searching for the same type of books that she had wanted to find as a child, but were finding few books written about children like themselves.^[11] She decided to create stories for these young readers.

Her first book, Henry Huggins, was published in 1950. It was about a boy, his dog and their friends, all of whom lived on Klickitat Street in Portland, a real street a few blocks from where Cleary lived as a child. According to Cleary, Henry Huggins and the other child characters in the book were based on children she grew up with, as well as those who attended her library story hours. Recalling discussions with her mother, she chose a simple writing style with humor, and based on advice from a college professor based the story around common human experiences.

Cleary went on to write several books about Henry Huggins. The stories included supporting characters Beezus and Ramona.

Cleary's first book to center a story on the Quimby sisters, Beezus and Ramona, was published in 1955. A publisher asked to write a book about a kindergarten student. Cleary resisted, because she had not attended kindergarten, but later changed her mind after the birth of her twins.

Cleary continued to write books which have been described as witty and charming. She is an international favorite among children's authors.^[12]

She has also written two autobiographies, A Girl from Yamhill and My Own Two Feet.

In 2016, in celebration of Cleary's 100th year, HarperCollins is issuing new editions of three of her books with illustrations by Jacqueline Rogers and new forewords.^[13]

Critical reception

Pat Pflieger, professor of children's literature at West Chester University commented: "Cleary's books have lasted because she understands her audience. She knows they're sometimes confused or frightened by the world around them, and that they feel deeply about things that adults can dismiss."^[2] Eliza Dresang, Beverly Cleary Professor in Children and Youth Services at the University of Washington Information School notes: "Those books don't seem so radical now, but they were when she was writing them." She notes that the topics they cover are portrayed with honesty and accuracy.^[14] Twentieth-Century Children's Writers says "Beverly Cleary's impact as a children's writer cannot be overestimated." It goes on to cite "her extraordinary talent in creating memorable young characters whose exuberant spirit and zest for life attract young and old readers alike."^[10]:210

Honors and legacy

In 1975, Cleary won the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award from the American Library Association for "substantial and lasting contributions to children's literature".^[15] She was U.S. nominee for the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1984.^[16] In April 2000 she was named Library of Congress Living Legend in the Writers and Artists category for her contributions to the cultural heritage of the United States.^[17] She received the National Medal of Arts in 2003.^[18]

Cleary's books have been published in 20 different languages and have been recognized by many awards and honors. Dear Mr. Henshaw won the Newbery Medal in 1984, and; Newbery Honors were conferred on Ramona and Her Father in 1978 and Ramona Quimby, Age 8 in 1982). She won the 1981 National Book Award in category Children's Fiction (paperback) for Ramona and Her Mother; a William Allen White Children's Book award for Socks (1973); the Catholic Library Association's Regina Medal (1980); and the Children's Book Council's Every Child Award (1985).^[19] Cleary's books have been read on PBS and ABC-TV.^[12]

In 2012, Ramona the Pest was ranked number 24 among all-time children's novels in a survey published by School Library Journal, a monthly with primarily U.S. audience. The Mouse and the Motorcycle (89) and Ramona and Her Father (94) were also among the Top 100.^[20]

Publisher HarperCollins recognizes her birthday, April 12, as National Drop Everything and Read Day (D.E.A.R.), in promotion of sustained silent reading.^[21]

In Portland, Oregon, the Hollywood branch of the Multnomah County Library, near where she lived as a child, commissioned a map of Henry Huggins's Klickitat Street neighborhood for its lobby wall.^[22] Statues of her characters Henry Huggins, the Huggins dog Ribsy, and Ramona Quimby can be found in Portland's Grant Park in the Hollyrood-Fernwood neighborhood.^[22] In June 2008, the the neighborhood's K-8 school, formerly Fernwood Grammar School and once attended by Cleary, was officially renamed Beverly Cleary School.^[23]

In 2004, the University of Washington Information School completed fund-raising for the Beverly Cleary Endowed Chair for Children and Youth Services to honor her work and commitment to librarianship. In 2008, the school announced that she had been selected as the next recipient of the University's Alumnus Summa Laude Dignatus Award, the highest honor the University of Washington can bestow on a graduate.^[24]

Cleary has a 220-student residential hall at the University of California, Berkeley named after her, called Beverly Cleary Hall.^[25]

Cleary has been mentioned as a major influence by other authors, including Laurie Halse Anderson, Judy Blume, Lauren Myracle and Jon Scieszka.^[26]

Works

† Henry Huggins series (1950–1964)
‡ Ramona series (1955–1999)

Adaptations

• Ramona (1988): 10-part Canadian TV series starred Sarah Polley as 8-year-old Ramona Quimby.^[27]
• Ramona and Beezus (2010): Movie starring Joey King as Ramona and Selena Gomez as Beezus.

See also

Notes

References

External links

• Official website
• Grant Park statues at Multnomah County Library
• "Beverly Cleary, Age 90" (2006 interview) at Newsweek
• "Beverly Cleary, Getting the Best Out of Her 'Pest'" (2006 interview) at NPR
• "Beverly Cleary: The Girl from Yamhill" (2009 profile) at Central Rappahannock Regional Library
• "Kids Like Us" (2008 profile) in the University of Washington alumni magazine, based on interview
• Works by or about Beverly Cleary in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• Beverly Cleary at Library of Congress Authorities, with 100 catalog records