Beverly Cleary
| Beverly Cleary | |
|---|---|
Cleary in 1971
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|
| Born |
Beverly Atlee Bunn April 12, 1916 McMinnville, Oregon, United States |
| Alma mater |
University of California, Berkeley (B.A., English, 1938) University of Washington (Library Science degree, 1939) |
| Occupation | Writer, librarian |
| Notable work | |
| Spouse(s) | Clarence Cleary (m. 1940–2004) |
| Children | Marianne Elizabeth Cleary and Malcolm James Cleary (both born 1955) |
| Awards |
National Book Award 1981 Newbery Medal 1984 Laura Ingalls Wilder Award 1975 |
| Website | beverlycleary |
University of California, Berkeley (B.A., English, 1938)
Beverly Atlee Cleary (née Bunn; April 12, 1916) is an American writer of children's and young adult fiction. One of America's most successful living authors, 91 million copies of her books have been sold worldwide since her first book was published in 1950. Some of her best known characters are Henry Huggins and his dog Ribsy, Ramona and Beezus Quimby, and Ralph S. Mouse.
She won the 1981 National Book Award for Ramona and Her Mother and the 1984 Newbery Medal for Dear Mr. Henshaw. For her lifetime contributions to American literature, Cleary received the National Medal of Arts, recognition as a Library of Congress Living Legend, and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal from the Association for Library Service to Children.
Beverly Atlee Bunn was born on April 12, 1916, in McMinnville, Oregon. Cleary was an only child and lived on a farm. Her mother was a school teacher and her father was a farmer. When she was six years old, her family moved to Portland, Oregon, where she attended elementary and high school.
In first grade, Cleary's teacher placed her in a group for struggling readers. Cleary said, "The first grade was separated into three reading groups—Bluebirds, Redbirds, and Blackbirds. I was a Blackbird. To be a Blackbird was to be disgraced. I wanted to read, but somehow could not." With the help of a school librarian who introduced her to books she enjoyed, Cleary caught up by third grade and started to spend a lot of time reading and at the library. By sixth grade, a teacher suggested that Cleary should become a children's writer based on essays she'd written for class assignments.
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