Beezus and Ramona

When Beverly Cleary died in March 2021 at the age of 104, readers across the country, spanning several generations, mourned the passing of one of the greatest American authors of the 20th century. As someone who struggled to read in elementary school but became a prolific author and a champion of literacy, Cleary created works that are cherished parts of the American children’s literature canon. Cleary authored more than 40 books that have sold more than 91 million copies and won a Newberry Medal and a National Book Award. Annually, children celebrate Cleary’s birthday on April 12 by practicing DEAR—drop everything and read—and an elementary school was named after her in her beloved hometown of Portland, Oregon (www.beverlycleary.com). Cleary is best remembered for the unforgettable characters she created in the overlapping, interconnected world of her novels. Chronicling the everyday lives of children and their families, her works take place in an energetic world centered on children’s thoughts and actions. For many American children since the 1950s, reading her books has been an integral part of the early reading experience. Since they are often passed on to children from parents, her books represent a rite of passage in children’s literacy journeys and a connecting point for families.

Cleary began her career as a librarian before becoming a full-time author in 1942. At the time, her books were groundbreaking in their deviation from the norms of children’s literature (Chace, Zoe. “Children's Author Beverly Cleary, Creator of Ramona Quimby, Dies at 104”, NPR). Before her writing, children in literature appeared mostly as charming fixtures with stock personalities, such as wealthy, highly moralistic Victorian children or poor children without homes who must be saved by a benevolent benefactor. While working in a public library, Cleary led a book club for young boys. One day, after an unsuccessful search for a book, a boy asked her, “Where are the books about kids like us?” Cleary resolved to create books about children by drawing on her own experiences growing up in a middle-class family in the Midwest. By creating realistic children who do not always behave well and are sometimes uncouth, Cleary blazed a trail for future authors, such as Judy Blume, who tackled taboo subject matter in an authentic way.

Another hallmark of Cleary’s writing is her care in taking seriously the emotions of young children, even over the most mundane things. She is credited as one of the first authors to use emotional realism in children’s books. Adults are quick to diminish children’s intense emotions, but Cleary prompts the reader to empathize with something as simple as Ramona’s discomfort with her clothes or her desire to pull a classmate’s hair. Young readers can see themselves in the characters, and the scenarios reawaken childhood feelings and worries that adult readers may have forgotten. In writing about children with real lives, Cleary does not shy away from including tense family situations in her novels. Later in the Ramona series, Mr. Quimby becomes unemployed, forcing Mrs. Quimby to seek work outside the home. The family briefly considers moving due to their difficult financial situation. Cleary’s emotional realism captures true-to-life circumstances and many of the real problems and heartaches that children experience. Cleary’s books also feature friendships between boys and girls and are marketed to children regardless of gender.