Beverly Cleary
Beverly Cleary (1916-2021) wrote over 30 books which have sold over 91 million copies worldwide in 14 different languages. She has remained among the most popular US writers for children and youth of the late 20th century and early 21st century. See a list here: https://www.beverlycleary.com/books.
She Struggled to Learn to Read
Reading did not come easily for Beverly Cleary. When she was quite young, she found herself in the “low” reading group in her classroom. By the time she was in third grade, though, she had become a strong reader. However, she felt frustrated that she couldn’t find the kinds of books she most wanted to read. Her school librarian suggested that she write her own books someday and she did. Read more about the author here: https://www.beverlycleary.com/about.
Sculpture Garden
She grew up in and around Portland, Oregon, and the city proudly celebrates its famous author. The Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden in historic Grant Park (at NE 33rd Avenue and US Grant Place) has sculptures of her books’ most famous characters, Ramona, Henry Huggins, and Ribsy, and written references to her books which were set in Portland.
Other Local Attractions
Visitors who have extra time may wish to explore beyond the park and discover places in the author’s childhood neighborhood including Klickitat Street which exists nearby.
This is the third stop on our Oregon Author Adventures Trail.
Rebecca Blake Beech
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