Building Readers, One Character At A Time

“One rainy Sunday when I was in the third grade, I picked up a book to look at the pictures and discovered that even though I did not want to, I was reading.  I have been a reader ever since.” – Beverly Cleary

A reader, yes, but more importantly a writer.  Cleary, born in April 1918, authored more than 30 books about children and children worldwide embraced them.  Nearly 100 million copies of her works have been sold, and they’re still going strong.  Cleary died on March 25 just days before her 103rd birthday. 

 

Henry Huggins, Ribsy, Ralph S. Mouse, Beezus and Ramona – these are names embedded in our Kids’ Lit Lexicon – all “real” and “identifiable” characters that Cleary created and that generations – both kids and adults –  have enjoyed.   Among her many awards are the Newberry Medal, the National Book Award. The National Medal of Arts, the “Living Legend” Award from the Library of Congress, and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal from the Association of Children’s Librarians.

 

Beverly Cleary

Working as a children’s librarian first made Cleary aware that she wanted to write books for children, but she was unsure if she could “do it right.”   As she struggled with how to do that, she said she remembered what her mother always told her:  Kids like wit and charm as much as adults and that is what will spark their interest in reading.  She also knew that kids are sometimes confused or frightened by the world around them, and that they feel deeply about things that adults can easily dismiss. 

 

“I didn't start out writing to give children hope,” she said, “but I'm glad some of them found it.”

 

 

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