Children's book author Beverly Cleary, 95, looks back at Ramona

[Blue_Tires]

Beverly Cleary, the author of "Beezus and Ramona" and dozens of other books for children and adults, turned 95 this week. She lives near Carmel, Calif.

"alking with Cleary, it's impossible not to connect the writer with the child she once was," book critic David L. Ulin writes in a feature that will appear in Sunday's Times. Cleary spoke to Ulin about her life and work:

Asked which is her favorite character, the 95-year-old doesn't hesitate. "Well, it must be Ramona," she says in a low, matter-of-fact voice. "She was just a little brat in 'Henry Huggins.' She was sort of an accident because it occurred to me that all the children appeared to be only children. So I tossed in this little sister, and at that moment, a neighbor called out to another neighbor who happened to be named Ramona. So I just named this little girl Ramona. And she kept growing in the Henry books. And my editor said she would like a whole book about Ramona, and I was thinking about it myself."

There's a sense of both serendipity and tenacity to such an anecdote, two qualities that define Cleary as well. For many years, she has been an icon — not just of children's literature but also of American literature, the writer who changed everything with the publication of "Henry Huggins," her first novel for middle readers, in 1950. In the decades since, she has been a Newbery Medal and Honor winner; she's a recipient of the National Medal of Arts and has been declared a living legend by the Library of Congress.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2011/04/beverly-cleary-95-ramona.html

[WildEyedLiberal]

1. She's 95? Wow.

I loved the Ramona books when I was a kid, and read many Beverly Cleary books. I'm glad she's still with us. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!

[fishwax]

2. seconded, WildEyedLiberal!

Always loved those books. :)

:hi:

[kimi]

3. Hey, thanks for this!

I've read every single one of Beverly Cleary's books, even as an adult I sometimes go back for "comfort" reads, just like I sometimes cook "comfort" food. So glad to hear about the recognition of her contribution to kid's literature, she's such an icon.