Beverly Cleary

Contributions and Distinctions

Beverly Bunn Cleary was an immensely successful author, writing children's and young adult fiction. Her books have been published in over 29 different languages, and have sold more than 90 million copies. In her honor, UC Berkeley named a residence hall after her, Beverly Cleary Hall, in 1992. The Library of Congress declared her as a “Living Legend” in 2000. She has over 35 awards including the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award (1975), a National Book Award (1981), the Newbery Medal (1984), and the National Medal of Arts presented by President George W. Bush in 2003.

Biographical Sketch  

Beverly Bunn Cleary was born McMinnville, Oregon in 1916 and lived in a small town called Yamhill. Her mother established a small library there, where Beverly found her love for books. When her family moved to Portland, she became interested in writing for boys and girls when she got older, as suggested by her school librarian. In 1934 she entered Chaffey Junior College in Ontario, CA and after two years she started attending UC Berkeley and earned a Bachelors of Arts degree in English in 1938. Following her studies at UC Berkeley, she attended the University of Washington where she gained a second bachelor's degree in library sciences. After college she worked as a librarian in Yakima, WA, where she learned children and young adults had a hard time finding books with characters they could identify with. In 1950 she published her first book, Henry Huggins which was humorous, relatable, and inspiring. Over the next forty years, she would publish over 40 books. Her books became significant because they resonated and represented her audience of young children so well. In 2021 she died in her retirement home at the age of 104.