Beverly Cleary Author Study: The Art of Ramona Quimby

This is an involved look at the various illustrations that have been used in the Ramona Quimby series. Louis Darling is who I started with, so his illustrations are my favorite. He illustrated many of Cleary's books, including Henry's series and the first two Ralph books. In fact, he only illustrated the first two Ramona books before he died. There are some interesting letters between Darling and Cleary at the end of this book. I like getting a glimpse of their partnership, especially considering they only met in person once!

Alan Tiegreen took over after Darling's death; I remember him for Pee Wee Scouts just as much as Ramona. I'm not as familiar with the two later illustrators because I already had my copies of the books, but I liked comparing and contrasting their styles and reading about their approaches. There was also some interesting information about JoAnn Scribner's covers; I had wondered why they had unique cover art for many of the books instead of just picking an interior illustration for the cover!

Beverly Cleary Author Study: Just Like Beverly

Written by Vicki Conrad, illustrated by David Hohn

This is a picture book biography of Beverly Cleary. I read this soon after reading Cleary's two autobiographies, so I remembered the information and could tell the picture book pulled from those books while making that information accessible for younger children.

The illustrations are so bright and engaging! I love the idea of using this book as a jumping-off point for a unit on biographies in general or Beverly Cleary herself. It's a great introduction to both. It's also a great choice for Cleary fans to read on their own after they have read some of her books. 

Beverly Cleary Author Study: The Ramona Quimby Diary and Two Times the Fun

Illustrated by Jacqueline Rogers 

I'm not sure if these two diaries are different, or if the one I have (2013) was just repackaged with new illustrations. The descriptions online make it sound similar, but I can't find images of the interior. The 1984 version was illustrated by Alan Tiegreen. It's an engaging journal with prompts and questions for the child to fill out. There are also stickers in the back. I really like the prompts on the pages and think it would be interesting for any Cleary fan.

- - -

Illustrated by Carol Thompson

I read and reviewed this book as originally published as the four separate stories. They were initially picture books or easy readers. I like the stories but am not too sure of the audience when they're published together as a chapter book. My dust jacket says ages 3-7 so I guess parents can read each chapter aloud as if it were a standalone book, and a 7-year-old who can read on their own might still be interested in the antics of 4-year-olds.

Beverly Cleary Author Study: Ramona's World

Illustrated by Jacqueline Rogers, cover by Ramona Kaulitzki

The last Ramona book, and the last new/original book ever published by Beverly Cleary. She was 83 when she wrote this, and it was published 15 years after Ramona Forever!

Ramona is in the 4th grade, Beezus is in high school, and Roberta (born at the end of Ramona Forever) is teething and learning to walk. This is kind of a feel-good book with no big drama, just everyday Ramona problems. It's a nice ending note for the series.

I know an author can't always wrap up all of their work, but I do wonder what Cleary envisioned for her characters' futures. Not just the Quimbys, but everyone in the Cleary universe. It's something nice to daydream about...

Beverly Cleary Author Study: My Own Two Feet

This is the second installment of Cleary's autobiography, from college to the publication of Henry Huggins. Her life was so interesting. After working her way through junior college and college during the Depression, she puts herself through graduate school studying library science. Cleary works for a year as a children's librarian, then works for several years as an Army librarian during World War II. She wrote Henry Huggins when she was 33!

I would have loved a third installment all about her writing, fame, motherhood, and awards because she's so fascinating. Her writing style was always matter-of-fact and humorous, which gave great insight into her personality while making every book a joy to read. What a treasure.

Beverly Cleary Author Study: Muggie Maggie

Illustrations by Kay Life, though the

cover artist is the "Rubes" signature again.

I say this about every other Cleary book, but I remember this so vividly from my own childhood. I think my mom bought it for me when I was struggling with my own handwriting. This book was written in response to a third-grader who wanted a book about cursive writing. It's a quick read but I do think it's a necessary subject. Cleary addresses it with her signature natural and fun style. Maggie is only a character for this one short book, but she feels as real and well-developed as the kids from Klickitat Street.

Beverly Cleary Author Study: A Girl From Yamhill

 

Beverly Cleary shares her childhood up through high school graduation in the first installment of her autobiography. She includes a lot of historical information about her pioneer ancestors. When she wrote about her early childhood on the farm, I could see where a lot of Emily's Runaway Imagination came from. 

These memories reminded me a lot of my maternal grandmother, too. She grew up on a farm and was close to the same age as Cleary. We had read some Cleary books together, including Emily's Runaway Imagination, so I had my grandmother's memories going through my head as I read this book. It made for a very cozy experience.

Cleary's story is touching and real and interesting. She is very honest about her childhood and her relationship with her mother. As she grew into a teenager, I could see where some of the subject matter for her YA books came from as well. Her writing style in this book is just as natural as it is in her fiction books. 

Beverly Cleary Author Study: Happy Birthday!

Beverly Cleary

April 12, 1916 to March 25, 2021

In 2012, a friend and I visited Portland and I made sure we stopped to see Klickitat Street and Grant Park. I knew there were statues of Henry Huggins and Ramona Quimby there, and Cleary was one of my favorite authors from childhood. At the time, I was just a big book nerd; I wasn't a librarian yet. Though we visited other libraries on this trip, including a tiny one-room library in Scio, Oregon, we didn't visit the Beverly Cleary Children's Library at the Central Branch of the Portland library. We also didn't visit the Beverly Cleary School, but I guess that just gives me good reasons to go back!

When I visited these statues, I had fond memories of the books I had read as a child. There were some lines and scenes I remembered vividly, and I've enjoyed reading them again as an adult. But above all, it's really impressed me how wonderful Cleary's writing is. I understand why children love it, because she's truly writing on their level. But as an adult, I'm still drawn in to each story because the characters are so well-developed and the problems are so real. Some of it is nostalgia, true, but there are several books of hers that I hadn't read as a kid and still really enjoyed this time around.

Grant Park was the setting for many scenes in children's books by Beverly Cleary. In 1991, a group of teachers, librarians, and business people formed the Friends of Henry & Ramona, and began to raise funds for the Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden for Children. Portland artist Lee Hunt created life-sized bronze statues of three of Cleary's best-loved characters - Ramona Quimby, Henry Huggins, and Henry's dog Ribsy. Scattered around the concrete slab are granite plaques engraved with the titles of the Cleary books that take place in Portland - and a map of the neighborhood showing where events in the books "really happened." The Sculpture Garden was dedicated on October 13, 1995. 

- from Portland.gov

Beverly Cleary Author Study: Ramona Forever

Illustrations by Alan Tiegreen, though my copy 

has a revised cover by JoAnn Scribner.

This book encompasses everything you could want from a chapter book! Ramona fights with her sister, gets a bit of after-school freedom, has to bury her cat, learns her mom is pregnant, and plays a part in her aunt's wedding! So much excitement, and I never had that in my childhood so I loved living vicariously through Ramona.

I think this might be the Ramona book I read most as a kid; I remember so much about it, so vividly. I remember thinking recently while reading Ramona and Her Mother: doesn't Ramona's family have a baby? I just couldn't remember when! I do kind of remember watching some episodes on TV as well because my original book had a yellow cover with a photograph of a real girl on the front.

Just an aside: I had Beverly Cleary's books arranged on my shelf in publication order, and also have a list of titles and publication dates in a notebook I'm using for this project. The copyright page of my book says 1979! There's nothing wrong with reading them out of order, but I want to see the progression of the stories and her writing. Everything I can find online verifies the 1984 publication date, but I thought it was strange and worth noting.

Beverly Cleary Author Study: Ramona Quimby, Age 8

Illustrations by Alan Tiegreen, though my copy

has a revised cover by JoAnn Scribner.

Ramona starts third grade at a new school when her neighborhood is rezoned. Beezus is in junior high, and even their dad is back in school! He's finishing his college degree to become an art teacher. Again, Ramona spends a lot of this book wondering if her teacher likes her and worrying that her family isn't happy. 

Willa Jean is becoming a bigger character, reminiscent of a young Ramona in the early Henry Huggins books. In fact, the adventures Ramona has in this book remind me a lot of Cleary's earlier works.

Beverly Cleary Author Study: Ramona and Her Mother

  Illustrations by Alan Tiegreen, though my copy 
has a revised cover by JoAnn Scribner.

From the earlier Ramona books, I thought she was closer to her mother; I guess because that's who she spent time with on her half days of kindergarten. Now her mother has gone back to work and Ramona misses the time they spent together. She feels like her mother prefers Beezus. After not getting along with her new teachers, Ramona starts to think that no one likes her!

This book accurately captures the highs and lows of childhood, as Cleary always does. It seemed more light-hearted than Ramona and Her Father. I don't know if that was done on purpose - a more emotionally involved book followed by something lighter, or if it's just how I'm perceiving things since Ramona and Her Father was the first book I read after Cleary's death. Either way, it's a fun story that captures Ramona's personality in an engaging way for readers.

Beverly Cleary Author Study: Ramona and Her Father

 Illustrations by Alan Tiegreen, though my copy 

has a revised cover by JoAnn Scribner.

The first Beverly Cleary book I've read and reviewed since her death, so it felt extra special. It also doesn't hurt that Ramona is becoming a more developed character. I feel like Cleary's early books were entertaining stories, and while the characters faced problems, they were more... sitcom-y - and I mean that in the best way possible! I think her writing changed as she wrote more, which I can see when reading her books in order. I also think it's nice it works that way because children can enjoy her early books when they're starting to read chapter books, and then as they're ready to read more emotional and deep books, they'll have these, like they can grow along with the series.

Ramona thinks a lot about whether her family is happy or not, and after her dad loses his job, it seems like "not." He's grumpy and is around more than Ramona is used to. When Beezus comments on their father's smoking habit, in relation to the family finances as well as his health, Ramona takes up the cause.

I remember so much of this book vividly: Nosmo King, run between the raindrops, french fries "crisp on the outside and mealy inside." But I didn't remember the weight of Ramona's worries. When I was a kid, I often worried about people around me regarding their health and death; I'm not sure if I picked up on it then in these books, but I'm sure it registered with me and made me feel understood.

I appreciate it now as an adult because I think we're too quick to brush off children's concerns as frivolous or unfounded when the worries seem important to them, and very often are just as serious as adults' worries. I think the way Cleary shows her understanding of children's thoughts is why she's still so widely read these days.

Beverly Cleary Author Study: Ramona the Brave

Illustrations by Alan Tiegreen, though my copy

has a revised cover by JoAnn Scribner.

Ramona is back for her second solo book. She's starting first grade and getting her own bedroom! I loved reading about her relationship with her teacher, which was so different than her kindergarten teacher. There's also more about her friendships in this book. But most of all, we get more of a look inside of Ramona's mind. While before she was just mischievous, now she's being fleshed out into a deeper character. 

Her family interactions were especially wonderful, and I remember feeling the same way about my sibling and parents when I was younger. I really love getting inside her mind as she grows, and it's nice to feel understood, even all these years later. I think this honesty is why Ramona is still so popular with kids today.

Beverly Cleary Author Study: Ramona the Pest

 Illustrations by Louis Darling, though my copy

has a revised cover by JoAnn Scribner.

Ramona's first solo book! After always being the "baby" on the sidelines, Ramona is finally starting kindergarten! She loves her kind teacher, Miss Binney, and has a crush on a classmate, Davy. Ramona gets to participate in a Halloween parade, walk to school on her own, and learns to write her name with a cute cat Q.

I remembered so much of this book, and I wonder if other Ramona fans feel the same. My kindergarten experience was totally different but this one is also part of my memory in a unique way. My favorite parts have always been when Ramona hides behind the garbage cans because she has a substitute teacher and when she loses her new boots in the mud.

Beverly Cleary Author Study: Here's Beaver!

This is Beverly Cleary's third and final Leave It to Beaver book. I liked this one more than Leave It to Beaver but not quite as much as Beaver and Wally. Cleary wrote more about Wally in this book, even if it was mostly how Beaver looked up to him. But I find Wally, and the way Cleary writes about him, to be more interesting than the situations Beaver himself gets into.

That being said, I'm definitely biased and prefer Henry Huggins and Ramona as Cleary's mischief-makers, but Wally could fit in nicely with Cleary's "first love" young adult books.

Again, this book has illustrations but I can't find the artist's name anywhere. Credit is given to Beverly Cleary and the show's creators, and the copyright is held by Gomalco Productions.

Beverly Cleary Author Study: Beaver and Wally

Another book based on episodes of Leave It to Beaver, but this one seemed more light-hearted and fun. I got more invested in the boys' adventures. The writing style reminded me more of Cleary's young adult books because a lot of the spotlight was on Wally. I also wonder if Cleary was more comfortable with the project guidelines by the second book and let herself have more fun with it, but that's just speculation.

This book also has illustrations, but I can't find out the artist's name. Credit is given to Cleary and the show's creators, and the copyright is again held by Gomalco Productions.

Beverly Cleary Author Study: Leave It to Beaver

Did you know Beverly Cleary wrote book adaptations of the TV show Leave It to Beaver? (Do you know how hard it is to make sure you type Beverly Cleary for the author and Beaver Cleaver for the character? Those names are WAY too similar...try it!) She wrote three Cleaver books in 1960 and 1961. 

According to my research, each chapter in the book relates to an episode of the TV show, or combines a couple episodes in one. My mom loves the show and has the series on DVD, so I'm going to borrow it and watch at least the episodes Cleary wrote about to see how they compare. I'm also going to loan the books to my mom and see what she thinks about them.

I went into this book knowing a bit about Beaver Cleaver because of my mom, so I thought he'd fit right in with Cleary's other mischievous kids, but this book is a little stilted. I thought I just didn't really "get" Beaver Cleaver until I found out that she was hired to write the books and had to work within some requirements and word counts, so the stories don't flow like her normal writing does.

Note: This book has illustrations, but I can't find an illustrator credited in the book or online. Credit is given to Cleary as the author and the show creators, but the copyright is held by Gomalco Productions and no other names are mentioned.

If you want a laugh, check out this never-before-published "script" of Beaver Cleaver finding out about his books.

Beverly Cleary Author Study: Beezus and Ramona

Illustrations by Louis Darling.

The first book starring these two ladies! I remember SO MUCH of this book! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve randomly thought about Ramona taking a bite from every apple. Or pictured the candy dragon Beezus drew. I’d bet money I’ve thought of those at least once a month since I read this book in childhood. I’m sure I re-read the book many times, too.

Despite what I remembered on my own, on my re-read, I think I most loved Ramona writing her name all over her library book to make it hers. This is where Beverly Cleary’s background as a children’s librarian really came through - that and the sections where she talks about reading aloud. Henry is a minor character in this book, just as Beezus and Ramona have appeared in his books, so it was nice to “see” a familiar face.

It’s funny reading this as an adult and recognizing how you act with kids who are Ramona’s age and who are Beezus’s age. I also remember how I felt reading it as a kid, getting frustrated by Ramona’s antics while realizing I was the younger sibling...

Beverly Cleary Author Study: Henry and Beezus

 Illustrations by Louis Darling, though my copy has a revised cover.

Beezus and Ramona were introduced in Henry Huggins, but they’re becoming more central characters in this book. Henry is one of my favorite kids’ book characters anyway, so I love how he develops in this book. Also, just as a personal aside, I love seeing the difference between then and now, especially in terms of money. It’s interesting to see how much Henry’s dream bike costs, and how much he earns per chore.

I love how Henry’s story is interesting and engaging while being adventurous in a way that is attainable for kids. I think it helps connect them to their own community since Henry’s action takes place in his own neighborhood. I also think it helps develop their imagination play because they can play everyday games and reenactments inspired by the story.

Beverly Cleary Author Study

From December 2019 to April 2020, I did an informal author study of Judy Blume. I say informal because I didn't take notes or share posts about it here. I read her books, most being re-reads I remembered from childhood because I was taking her MasterClass and wanted to be reading her stories as I listened to her lessons. 

I had previously done a stricter Roald Dahl author study, which is still incomplete. I re-read many of his books, which I again remembered from childhood. But I also read his short stories for adults and then watched the television adaptations made for a series called Tales of the Unexpected. The author study kind of morphed into comparing written stories to the show versions, but it was still a lot of fun. I want to come back to Dahl and finish reading all of his works, since I've never read his books for adults, and still have a lot of short stories to read.

But I wanted to boost Beverly Cleary to the top of my list. After celebrating her birthday last April, soon after finishing my Judy Blume study, I decided that Cleary would be next. I wanted to get all of her books before she died and they became expensive or hard to find (I know, that's so morbid, but it was on my mind). I started collecting copies of the books I didn't own - thankfully my mom had kept most of my paperbacks, so I only had to track down titles I honestly had no idea she'd written, like Leave It to Beaver books.

After acquiring them all, I was ready to begin. But then... the news. I spent more time doom scrolling than I did reading. It was bad, and I knew Beverly Cleary's light-hearted books would be a good rescue from that, but also I didn't want to taint the books by associating them with that period of time.

But now, with a change in leadership and tentatively allowing myself to feel hope, it seems like a wonderful time to dive into Beverly Cleary's books. This project is partially just because I love Cleary and want to read her books, but my reviews might analyze her writing style or stories. I'm kind of just having fun with it and letting it guide me where it wants to go.