Beverly Cleary is a writer originally from Portland, Oregon. Her books about Beezus and Ramona Quimby and Henry Huggins and of course his dog Ribsy are classics. Cleary grew up in the Hollywood neighborhood (near where I live as I write this) and placed many of her books in this and the nearby Laurelhurst neighborhood. The church where Ramona was a lamb in a Christmas play is 3 blocks from me. Sadly, the Kienow's grocery where Ramona lost her boots in the mud is gone.

Beverly Cleary was born Beverly Bunn on April 12, 1916, in McMinnville, Oregon. Until she was old enough to attend school, she lived on a farm in Yamhill, a town so small it had no library. Her mother arranged with the state library to have books sent to Yamhill, and acted as impromptu librarian in a lodge hall over a bank.

When she was very young, she had trouble reading, and was placed in the "slow readers" group, the group that was given all the lamest books to read. The embarassment and frustration of this experience would stay with her all her life, and was why she was determined to write books that didn't suck.

Cleary worked as a librarian for many years, hoping someday to help fill the shelves with books of her own. She married, had twins, and finally found time to write, publishing Henry Huggins in 1950.

Beverly Cleary currently lives in Berkeley, California, in a house overlooking the San Francisco Bay. When she is not writing books she likes to travel and sew.


Books:

Beezus and Ramona

The Beezus and Ramona Diary

Cutting Up with Ramona

Dear Mr Henshaw (1984 Newbery Award)

Ellen Tebbits

Fifteen

A Girl from Yamhill

The Growing-Up Feet

Henry Huggins

Henry and Beezus

Henry and Ribsy

Henry and the Clubhouse

Henry and the Paper Route

Henry Huggins

The Hullabaloo ABC

Janet's Thingamajigs

Jean and Johnny

The Luckiest Girl

Lucky Chuck

Mitch and Amy

The Mouse and the Motorcycle

Muggie Maggie

My Own Two Feet: A Memoir

Otis Spofford

Petey's Bedtime Story

Ralph S. Mouse

Ramona and Her Father

Ramona and Her Mother

Ramona Forever

The Ramona Quimby Diary

Ramona Quimby, Age 8

Ramona the Brave

Ramona the Pest

Ramona's World

The Real Hole

Ribsy

Runaway Ralph

Sister of the Bride

Socks

Strider

Two Dog Biscuits


thanks to:
http://www.teleport.com/~krp/ClearyBio.html
http://www.multnomah.lib.or.us/lib/kids/cleary.html
http://www.trelease-on-reading.com/cleary.html
http://www.davison.k12.mi.us/dms/projects/women/acleary.htm
www.amazon.com

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