Beverly Cleary Biography

Beverly Cleary was born Beverly Atlee Bunn, on April 12, 1916, in McMinnville, Oregon. Her father was a farmer, and mother was a schoolteacher. She had no siblings. Cleary spent her childhood in the rural areas of Yamhill. When she was 6 years old, she moved to Portland, along with her family. Her father secured a job as a security officer in a bank, in Portland.

City life was difficult for the young Cleary. It affected her studies. She was placed in a group of difficult learners. The school librarian helped Cleary to find books suited for her, and she made considerable progress. When she was in sixth grade, one of her teachers suggested that she should become a writer of children’s stories. Cleary graduated from the ‘Grant High School,’ in Portland.

Beverly Cleary started her career as a children’s librarian, in Yakima, Washington. Later, she worked as a librarian in the ‘U.S. Army Hospital,’ in Oakland, California. During her tenure as the children’s librarian, Cleary interacted with the young readers. She found that children loved books with ordinary characters that they could relate to. In those days, portrayal of realism in literature was rare. This inspired Cleary to write stories for children.

In 1950, Beverly Cleary published her first book, ‘Henry Huggins.’ It was the story of an ordinary boy called ‘Henry,’ and his dog, ‘Ribsy.’ The book narrated several funny incidents in the life of ‘Henry.’ It was based on Cleary’s own childhood experiences, and the information she gathered from the readers at the children’s library. The simple and humorous way of story-telling attracted young readers. It was a huge success, and was translated into several other languages.

In 1955, Cleary published her first book that concentrated entirely on the ‘Quimby sisters,’ which was titled, ‘Beezus and Ramona.’ The character of naughty little ‘Ramona’ had a lot of admirers. This caused Cleary to concentrate more on ‘Ramona.’ From 1955 to 1999, she wrote several books in the ‘Ramona’ series. Many of them such as ‘Ramona the Pest,’ and ‘Ramona and Her Father,’ were highly popular among readers. Several books in the series won awards such as the ‘National Book Award for Young People’s Literature.’

In 1984, Cleary authored the juvenile epistolary novel, ‘Dear Mr. Henshaw.’ It was the story of a young boy, ‘Leigh,’ who struggled with his parents’ divorce. He wrote letters to his favorite author, which ultimately helped him to cope with his problems. The book won the ‘Newbery Medal.’ In 2007, the ‘National Educational Association’ named the book as one of the ‘Top 100 Books for Children.’

Beverly Cleary has penned two memoirs. Her first memoir, ‘A Girl from Yamhill,’ was published in 1988. The second memoir, ‘My Own Two Feet,’ was published in 1995. In 1975, Cleary won the ‘Laura Ingalls Wilder Award,’ from the ‘American Library Association.’ In 2000, she was named as the ‘Library of Congress Living Legend,’ for her contributions to the field of literature. In 2003, Cleary was awarded the ‘National Medal of Arts.’

Cleary had two children, Malcolm, and Marianne. Her husband passed away in 2004. In 2016, Cleary’s hundredth birthday was celebrated.

Beverly Cleary died on March 25, 2021, at her retirement home in Carmel Valley, California. She was 104.