All about Beverly Cleary

Beverly Cleary was an amazing author who wrote many books for children. She was born on April 12, 1916, in a small town in Oregon called McMinnville. When she was young, Beverly loved to read, but she had trouble finding books that she liked. This made her want to write stories that kids would enjoy.

Beverly grew up and went to college to learn how to be a librarian. She worked as a librarian for a while and then decided to start writing her own books. Her first book, "Henry Huggins," was published in 1950. It was about a boy named Henry and his dog, Ribsy. Kids loved the book, and Beverly wrote many more stories about Henry and his friends.

One of her most famous characters is Ramona Quimby, a spirited and funny girl who has lots of adventures. Beverly wrote lots of books about Ramona, and children all over the world loved reading about her.

Beverly Cleary's books have made many kids happy and helped them enjoy reading. She won many awards for her wonderful stories and continued writing until she was very old. Beverly Cleary passed away on March 25, 2021, but her books will always be loved by children everywhere.

1. Where was Beverly Cleary born?
2. What was the title of Beverly Cleary's first book?
3. Who is one of Beverly Cleary's most famous characters?
4. Why did Beverly Cleary want to write stories for kids?
5. How do you think Beverly Cleary's background as a librarian helped her write books for children?

Symbols and Traditions

Hi! My name is Ben, and I'm 8 years old. I want to tell you about my fun trip to Portland where Beverly Cleary, the famous author, is from. I love her books, especially the ones about Ramona Quimby.

One of the coolest things we did was visit the Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden in Grant Park. It has statues of some of her characters, like Ramona, Henry, and Ribsy. I took a picture with Ramona's statue! It felt like I was meeting her for real.

We also walked around the neighborhood where Beverly Cleary grew up. It was so neat to see the places that inspired her stories. My mom told me that Beverly Cleary used to visit the same library we saw. I could imagine her sitting there and thinking up all the fun adventures for her books.

Afterward, we went to get ice cream at a nearby shop. I think Ramona would have loved it! The whole trip made me want to read more of her books and maybe even write my own stories someday.

1. Who is the author that inspired Ben's visit to Portland?
2. What is the name of the park where the Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden is located?
3. How did Ben feel when he took a picture with Ramona's statue?
4. Can you think of another place in Portland that might be interesting to visit related to Beverly Cleary?
5. Why do you think visiting the places Beverly Cleary grew up in made Ben want to write his own stories?

Profile of Beverly Cleary

A Timeline of Beverly Cleary to another Festival

After learning all about Beverly Cleary, your job is to create a timeline of their life. You should add all the important events in their life but you can be inventive and add some interesting things that people might like to read about. You can make it as simply as you like with pen and paper or you can be very inventive and create a 3D diorama or hanging banner. The sky's the limit - go for it!

Slideshow - Beverly Cleary
A full set of teaching plans for Beverly Clearyteaching.