When I was a young girl, I loved reading Beverly Cleary's books, especially ones about Ramona. I read about all the scrapes that the young girl got herself into. The droopy socks, wild hair, and stick legs captured my attention since I found myself frequently in trouble during my childhood. I also read Ellen Tibbits, the Ralph S. Mouse books, the Henry Huggins novels, and Cleary's memoirs: A Girl form Yamhill and My Own Two Feet. Even though Cleary was born in Oregon, she became inspired to write while working as a young librarian in Yakima, Washington. She drew on fond memories of her own childhood in the 1920s and 1930s in Portland, Oregon. Cleary actually spent part of her childhood living on Klickitat Street, which is home to many of her characters.
On Klickitat Street, kids rode their bicycles to school, dogs ran free, and mothers stayed at home. It was an innocent time in which children entertained themselves and mostly played outdoors. The middle-class neighborhood is the setting for Cleary's unique characters that I love so much. They provide a universal and timeless message of innocence and youth.
Something about Ramona reminds me of myself when I was her age. Maybe, it was her independent spirit or her unquenchable curiosity. Henry Huggins book collection was published first between 1950 and 1964. Beezus and Ramona followed in 1955, and then Ramona the Pest in 1968. Cleary explores serious issues in her later books. In Ramona Forever, Ramona mourns the death of her cat while she worries about being replaced by a new baby. She is also concerned about her father losing his job and her aunt moving to Alaska. The newer book illustrations portray modern depictions of characters wearing bicycle helmets and carrying backpacks. Cleary's books are still read and enjoyed today.
I remember checking out my quota from the school library. I was sad because we were only allowed to take five books at a time. I would read mine quickly and then longed for more. But I had to wait until the allotted time to read more Ramona books. The illustrated pages of Ramona fascinated me. Ramona looked like a stick figure that I could easily draw. But somehow, Cleary made this little girl come to life. I could not wait to see what trouble she would get into next.I do remember my hair stuck out all over my head in grade school and my bangs were cut short, similar to Ramona's hair. Once I discovered Ramon, she became my hero because I admired her courage and bravery. Somehow, Ramona always managed to land on her feet. When the movie came out, I was thrilled. Most of the events in the books were carried out on the big Hollywood screen. I love watching the movie because it reminds me of all the Ramona books I read as a young girl. The movie became a box office success and earned $3 million on the first day.
Check out this online video of the Ramona and Beezus movie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yG4oBdWONM
Cleary has won many prestigious awards: the John Newberry Medal in 1984, the American Library Association's 1975 Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, the Catholic Library Association's 1980 Regina Medal. She was also the 1984 United States author nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. Cleary was called a "Living Legend" by the Library of Congress.
Her books are in over twenty countries in fourteen languages. Cleary's characters are funny and life-like, which children of all ages adore. Television programs have been created with characters based on Cleary's characters. Cleary wrote about the things she grew up with. Her characters, Ramona and Henry are based on the friends she made in Portland. Henry is modeled on the boys that graced Cleary's street in Portland. They also had mangy dogs, similar to Ribsy. Reading Cleary's books influenced me to love reading and books. My dream was to grow up and write books just like she did. Since I was the youngest in my family, I was often called "pest." Yet, I learn to love reading and writing, which inspired me to major in English. One day, I plan to teach students to love reading as much as I do. Maybe, I will use Beverly Cleary's books as my text. 