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: Petey's Bedtime Story

 Illustrated by David Small

I had never heard of this book so I was looking forward to reading it. Beverly Cleary has a magic touch with picture books, just as she does with chapter books. She makes characters that are overflowing with personality, even if they're just one-off characters instead of developed over a series.

Petey is a toddler who doesn't mind getting ready for bed. He knows he'll get to hear bedtime stories, so he's always good in the bath and putting on his pjs. His mom reads him one bedtime story, but Petey isn't tired yet. His dad reads him another, but Petey still isn't tired. He decides to tell his sleepy parents his favorite bedtime story - the one about the night he was born! Except the way Petey tells it makes it way more adventurous than it actually was.