Loving Beverly Cleary

My favorite Cleary facts, in ranked order:

(5) She actually based "Mitch and Amy" on her own twins (the only time this happened in her career).

(4) Young and newly employed, she was confused when her boss told her to shelve the "little brown books." Little brown? Her boss was talking about the publisher "Little, Brown."

(3) She once won a writing competition and then learned that literally no one else had made a submission. The lesson? "Just TRY!"

(2) When she turned 100, she shrugged and said, "I didn't WORK to make this happen." Also: "Go ahead and make a big deal of this. Everyone else does."

(1) She is happy--happiest--to know that kids have loved her books, and continue to love her books. That's what she wanted. More than a Newbery or a National Book Award.

More soon!

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How to Host a Baby

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Liars and Saints

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