Profile of the Day: Beverly Cleary

Today we remember children’s book author Beverly Cleary on what would have been her 105th birthday.

Image: Beverly Cleary / Washington State Archives, Wikimedia Commons

Cleary was born Beverly Atlee Bunn on April 12, 1916 in McMinniville, Oregon to Chester Lloyd Bunn, a farmer, and Mabel Atlee, a schoolteacher. A passionate reader, Cleary studied to become a children’s librarian. She earned a B.A. in English from the University of California, Berkeley and a second bachelor’s degree in library science from the University of Washington.

As a children’s librarian, Cleary often found it difficult to find books with characters that her young readers could identify with. She decided to begin writing children’s books with characters that children could relate to. Cleary published her first book, Henry Huggins, in 1950, which was about Henry, his dog Ribsy, and his friends. The book also introduced readers to the iconic characters of Beezus and her little sister, Romona, for the first time. Then in 1955, Cleary published Beezus and Romona, the first of a series of novels that focused on Romona as she grew up. With over 91 million books sold worldwide, Cleary’s books continue to remain popular with young readers.

Cleary died on March 25, 2021 at the age of 104.

Explore Beverly Cleary’s family tree on Geni and share your connection to the children’s book author.