Beverly Cleary: Her Life And Books

Abstract

In 1950 Beverly Cleary introduced a book entitled Henry Huggins to the world of children’s literature. The main character for whom the book was named, soon found his way into the hearts and minds of a vast number of young readers and a firm step in the author’s writing career was established. Her continuing ability to appeal to children’s reading interests has heralded Mrs. Cleary many honors. Through the years she has been awarded ten different book awards1 and her writing has received favorable reviews from many outstanding literary critics. Despite these positive opinions, there is controversy between the adult critics concerning Mrs. Cleary’s books. In the interest of objectivity, I should note that her works are rarely rated as quality literature.