Beverly Cleary Author Study: Otis Spofford

Illustrations by Louis Darling, though my copy

has a revised cover by Alan Tiegreen.

I’ve already made the disclaimer that I love Henry and his friends most, but I’m trying to be fair to Otis and his friends as well. Otis was the antagonist in Ellen Tebbits, and Ellen and her friends appear in this book as well.

In his own book, Otis’s misfit behavior takes center stage. As an adult and a librarian who has worked in public schools, reading about some of his antics gave me PTSD. I think we all know kids who do things just to do them, not to cause trouble and not to be mean, but they’re disruptive and exhausting all the same. But I can see how kids would love to read about how Otis gets in trouble without getting in trouble themselves. A friend and I used to play Ellen and Otis (I was Otis, what does that say about me?) so I guess I liked them just fine when I was a kid!

Beverly Cleary Author Study: Ellen Tebbits

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

I liked Ellen Tebbits as a kid because she seemed like a mix of who I was and who I wanted to be. The descriptions of girls in her class are spot on, and I could relate a lot to the way those friendships were portrayed. Also, the way she let her lie about horseback riding grow out of control was so realistic; I’m sure something like that has happened to everyone.

I like this book, but admit I’m biased (as a kid and now as an adult) towards Henry and his crew, so it has a different feel for me. I can’t pinpoint why, but it’s still a light-hearted book to read.

Happy 100th Birthday, Beverly Cleary!

Beverly Cleary's books were my favorites when I was a kid; they're still my "comfort food" of the book world. The stories of Henry Huggins, Ramona Quimby, and Otis Spofford pop into my mind more often than you think they would. I remember some of the exact phrases from the Ramona books I read and re-read as a child!

In 2012, a friend and I traveled to Portland, Oregon. While we were there, we visited Grant Park, where a lot of Beverly Cleary's books take place. Grant Park is the home of the Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden for Children, with statues of Ramona Quimby, Henry Huggins, and Henry's dog Ribsy.





Check out more about Beverly Cleary's birthday from the author herself.