Even though she’s turning 100 years old today, Beverly Cleary still has the same fiery spirit as when she wrote her famous Ramona books, starting back in 1955. Although she’s sold over 91 million copies of her children’s books, one of which was made into a Ramona and Beezus movie starring Selena Gomez and Josh Duhamel, the witty author lives a quiet life in Northern California and doesn’t even own a computer. Cleary said she doesn’t want to celebrate her impressive milestone birthday; she just wants a piece of carrot cake.
Although she lives her life primarily out of the spotlight, Cleary is being celebrated around the world with the release of new editions of her books; the Drop Everything and Read program is asking everyone to read her books in her honor. Cleary has won numerous honors over the years, including the National Book Award, a Newbery Medal, the National Medal of Art from the National Endowment of the Arts, and the Living Legend Award from the Library of Congress. But even these honors don’t begin to convey how valuable her books are to her readers.
Even though her books are more than half a century year old, they remain beloved by adults and children alike. But their power is especially important for children today, who spend an increasing amount of their time staring at screens rather than the printed page. Cleary wrote before the iPad era, but children today can still relate to the characters’ struggles and triumphs. Cleary’s most famous character, Ramona Quimby, is known for her mischievousness and spunky attitude; she never means to cause trouble, but trouble always finds her and she has to figure out a way to put things right. As Cleary puts it, “Things just didn’t work out the way [Ramona] thought they should.” Ramona’s book series follows her struggles with teachers, siblings, parents, boys, and just trying to fit in with her classmates. What child can’t connect with that?
Children today need characters like Ramona, her sister Beezus, and Henry Huggins (whom Cleary wrote about in a separate series) more than ever to show them how to be creative and have fun outside without technology. Cleary herself observes that children today don’t have as much freedom as they used to and spend most of their time engaged in scheduled activities or watched over by hovering parents. Cleary’s books remind us that kids need time to be kids – unstructured time when they can get into a little mischief like Ramona; their adventures and mishaps are what teaches them lasting lessons about friendships and determination. Even though Ramona and Beezus had their fights (as sisters do) they would always reconcile. Their strong bond is part of the glue that holds the Ramona books together.
As Pat Pflieger, a children’s literature professor, said, “Cleary’s books have lasted because she understands her audience. She knows they’re sometimes confused or frightened by the world around them, and that they feel deeply about things that adults can dismiss.” She has already joined the ranks of classic authors like Beatrix Potter and Laura Ingalls Wilder. So in honor of Cleary’s 100th birthday, I will be both reminiscing about my days as a child reading her books and looking forward to reading to my children about the adventures of Cleary’s beloved Klickitat Street characters.
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