Children's Book Author Beverly Cleary Dies at 104

 

Cleary, who died this week at 104, pictured
here around age 39 with her cat, "Kitty"

Beloved children's book author Beverly Cleary died Thursday at the age of 104, just a few weeks shy of her 105th birthday. The centenarian's career, which spanned nearly five decades, produced numerous works with familiar characters such as Romona and Quimby Beezus, Henry Huggins, and Ralph S. Mouse. 

Cleary was born in McMinnville, Oregon, on April 12, 1916, prior to America's entry into World War I. Cleary graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1938 and from the University of Washington in 1939 with a second bachelor's degree in library science. She worked as a librarian for the next decade and married her husband Clarence in 1940. Clarence died in 1999. 

In 1950, Cleary's first book Henry Huggins was published. She continued publishing books until 1999, when she retired from active writing. In 1975, she won the Laura Ingalls Wilder award for her contribution to children's literature. Her characters Romona and Quimby Beezus were brought to the big screen in 2010 in Romona and Beezus, starring Selena Gomez and Joey King. Cleary was also honored with a residence hall named after her at UC Berkeley. 

After Cleary's death in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, tributes began pouring in from fellow authors, such as Judy Blume, and from politicians, actors, and others who said they were influenced by her works.