Beverly Cleary Author Study Essay

Hi, my name is Beverly Cleary. I am an author of over thirty books for children and adults. I have written many award winning books. I worked as a librarian when I was younger. That’s where I got the idea to write about ordinary kids. I was born in McMinnville Oregon on April 12, 1916. My dad was in the war. When I was a child I was always around books. Soon me and my family moved to Portland. I attended grammar and high school there. I found myself in the low reading circle. When in third grade I was told by the public librarian â€Å"You should write a book.† I kept that in mind. When I was 34 I wrote my first book, Henry Huggins. The way I get the ideas for the books is from my own experiences like my childhood or other kids’ childhood. Maybe I would see an article in the newspaper or a magazine. Sometimes it would just seem to come out of thin air. Once two boys who didn’t know each other asked me to write a book about a child of divorce. That’s how I got Dear Mr. Henshaw, my Newberry winner. One street that most of my characters live on is Klickitat Street which is a real street in Portland. I have won many awards for my books. For example, Dear Mr. Henshaw won the Newberry Medal in 1984. Ramona and Her Father was made a Newberry Honor Book in 1978. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 was made a Newberry Honor Book in 1982. The Newberry award is one of the most prestigious awards given to authors for their contributions to literature for children. In 1984 the U.S. made me a nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen award. Two of my books are Henry Huggins and Ribsy. Some ways they are alike are that they have the same characters – Henry Huggins, Ribsy, Ramona, and Beezes. They both have a both have problems concerning animals and they take place on the same street. Some ways they are different are that they have different problems. In the book Henry Huggins, Henry has lots of small problems with his pets, which are not life and death situations. In the book Ribsy, Ribsy the dog has one big problem. He gets lost and he needs to figure out how to get back to his owner, Henry Huggins. This is a big problem for a dog because he doesn’t want to get hit by a car or get killed or hurt by other animals. My books are about ordinary kids and the things that happen to them. There’s usually a problem or two and the characters find interesting ways to solve them. I like to write about ordinary kids because it’s something kids can relate to and enjoy reading without thinking it’s a hassle. Kids tell me they like my stories. I hope you do too.