Her characters, including Beezus and Ramona Quimby, Henry Huggins, and Ralph, the motorcycle-riding mouse, have delighted children for generations. Henshaw won the Newbery Medal, and Ramona Quimby, Age 8 and Ramona and Her Father have been named Newbery Honor Books. Cleary's books have earned her many prestigious awards, including the American Library Association's Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, presented to her in recognition of her lasting contribution to children's literature. And so, the Klickitat Street gang was born! Ribsy didn’t mean to get lost in the huge shopping mall parking lot. And Henry finally removes his collar so he can scratch away the flea. She based her funny stories on her own neighborhood experiences and the sort of children she knew. So when Henry and his parents drive off to the shopping center, Ribsy chases after them until they are forced to stop and let him in.

When a young boy asked her, 'Where are the books about kids like us?' she remembered her teacher's encouragement and was inspired to write the books she'd longed to read but couldn't find when she was younger. Before long, her school librarian was saying that she should write children's books when she grew up.

But by third grade, after spending much time in her public library in Portland, Oregon, she found her skills had greatly improved. As a child, she struggled with reading and writing. Huggins listened to the nine o’clock news on the. Henry’s dog Ribsy sat close to Henry’s chair, hoping for a handout. Her characters, including Beezus and Ramona Quimby, Henry Huggins, and Ralph, the motorcycle-riding mouse, have delighted children for generations.Beverly Cleary is one of America's most beloved authors. One warm Saturday morning in August, Henry Huggins and his mother and father were eating breakfast in their square white house on Klickitat Street. She based her funny stories on her own neighborhood experiences and the sort of children she knew.

Beverly Cleary is one of America's most beloved authors.

Henry ribsy