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.