“We at HarperCollins also feel extremely lucky to have worked with Beverly Cleary and to have enjoyed her sparkling wit,” wrote her publisher in a statement. “Her timeless books are an affirmation of her everlasting connection to the pleasures, challenges, and triumphs that are part of every childhood.” Born in McMinnville, Oregon, Cleary grew up Yamhill, a small town that didn’t have a library. However, her mother was able to get the state library to send books to the community. Cleary fell in love with books. When the family settled in Portland, Cleary was placed in a low reading level. She felt a strong sense of compassion for readers who struggled that never left her. When she was in third grade her reading skills greatly improved. The school’s librarian even encouraged her to be a children’s book writer. Cleary was determined to write the books that she would love to read and didn’t see in her library. She wanted to write funny and engaging books about kids she knew (think Henry Huggins, Ramona Quimby, Ellen Tebbits and other unforgettable characters.) Honored as a “Living Legend “by the Library of Congress, she is the author of 42 books that have sold more than 85 million copies. Her books have been published in 28 languages and her timeless characters have been beloved for generations. She was predeceased by her husband, Clarence Cleary, and is survived by their two children, Malcolm and Marianne, three grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. “Beverly Cleary is funny,” fellow author Judy Blume told The New York Times in 2011. “There’s both gentle humor and laugh-out-loud humor.” Blume once shared that when her kids came home from visiting the library with all the books they borrowed, “Most of them went into the ‘I don’t want to write books like these, they bore me’ pile,” she said. “Then I came to Beverly Cleary and I fell off the sofa, I was laughing so hard. I thought, oh my God, I want to write books like this.” As we mourn the passing of this literary legend, we’re tracking heartwarming tributes that are pouring in across social media. Here are a few of our favorites: https://twitter.com/FLOTUS/status/1375576027682926592 https://twitter.com/HarperCollins/status/1375554229729918980 https://twitter.com/MaraWilson/status/1375561941431672832 https://twitter.com/BNBuzz/status/1375567153529815050 https://twitter.com/asarahlarson/status/1375559950336921606 https://twitter.com/laurenthehough/status/1375603134949654530 https://twitter.com/MiaFarrow/status/1375578803771211789 https://twitter.com/michaelchabon/status/1375562181710733312 https://twitter.com/OregonGovBrown/status/1375571127578152962 https://twitter.com/RepSchrader/status/1375572710080667649 https://twitter.com/Faith_Salie/status/1375597623063760900 https://twitter.com/ThatEricAlper/status/1375567875637907456 https://twitter.com/SenGillibrand/status/1375603085825953795 https://twitter.com/angiecthomas/status/1375567951630323720 https://twitter.com/pswordwoman/status/1375563667249496068 https://twitter.com/Sifill_LDF/status/1375557164312444932 https://twitter.com/nicolesjchung/status/1375583917420478467 https://twitter.com/EdwardCarey70/status/1375583709299154953 Next, Jill Biden Reflects on a Life Fueled By Family and Career
