BEVERLY CLEARY

When Beverly Cleary (nee Beverly Atlee Bunn) decided to become an author when she was in the third grade, did she have the faintest idea that she would someday write some of the most beloved children’s books of all time? She’s has been named a Library of Congress “Living Legend,” nominated for the prestigious international Hans Christian Andersen Award, granted the Newbery Medal for Dear Mr. Henshaw and recognized for her lasting contribution to children’s literature with the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award. Readers and critics alike love the Ramona series so much that two of the books in the series were named Newbery Honor Books and the title character was immortalized in bronze! You can see Ramona’s statue at The Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden for Children in Portland, Oregon.