Mar 31, 2021
American author Beverly Cleary, well known and beloved by Canadians young and old, passed away a few days ago, at the grand age of 104.
Many of my Canadian friends grew up with her characters Henry Huggins, Ramona and Beezus, and her books still open a doorway right back into their childhood. As an immigrant, I was introduced to her world as I read her books to my child. We instantly fell in love with quick-witted, irrepressible Ramona, and brought home from the library, each of the eight books in the realistic fiction series, one right after the other.
Beverly Cleary’s books are filled with adventures and funny situations inspired by her own childhood, and they continue to win the hearts of children to this day.
So join me today in celebrating this timeless author, who spent a good part of her childhood in the company of public library books, as she recounts in her own memoir, and was so successful in imparting her love of books on our young kids.