Noted children’s book author Beverly Cleary has passed away.
Cleary created the beloved characters Ramona Quimby and Beezus Quimby, Henry Huggins and his dog Ribsy, and Ralph S. Mouse. Over the last 70 years, she sold over 91 million books and became one of America’s most famous authors.
“We are saddened to share that cherished children’s book author Beverly Cleary passed away yesterday, March 25, at 104 years old,” her publisher, Harper Kids Books, announced on Facebook.
Cleary won the 1981 National Book Award for “Ramona and Her Mother,” and the 1984 Newbery Medal for “Dear Mr. Henshaw.” She was also awarded the National Medal of Arts and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal from the Association for Library Service to Children. The Library of Congress even named her a living legend.
The Beverly Cleary School, a public school in her childhood home of Portland, is named in her honor. Grant Park in Portland features statues of her characters.
Cleary once said “I think deep down inside children are all the same. They want two loving parents and they would prefer a house with a neighborhood they can play in. They want teachers that they can like. I don’t think children have changed that much. It’s the world that has changed.”
Our thoughts and prayers to her family, friends, and fans.