17 Beverly Cleary Quotes

Beverly Cleary is an author from Oregon, United States, who writes fiction for kids as well as young adults.

Cleary is known to be the first author who writes children's fiction with an understanding of emotional realism. Most of the characters in her book were children who belonged to middle-class backgrounds.

Beverly Cleary passed away at the age of 104. There are children in kindergarten who are still reading some of her work.

Her character Henry Huggins, along with Ramona and Beezus, brings a feeling of nostalgia for every child. Her notable work includes the 'Ramona' series; the collection has a total of eight books, the first book was published in 1955, and the last one was published in 1999.

Another one of her famous books that was published in 1965 is called 'The Mouse And The Motorcycle'. The story revolves around the life of the house mouse, Ralph S. Mouse.

Cleary was an author and a librarian. She completed her education at the University of Washington. Beverly Cleary was married to Clarence Cleary in 1940. They had two children. She spent the last few years of her life in California.

The American Library Association honored Cleary with the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award in 1975. In 2003, Beverly Cleary was given the National Medal of Arts!

Beverly Cleary Quotes About Books

Here are a few Beverly Cleary quotes about the art of reading, and she also lets us in on her idea of a favorite book.

"Quite often somebody will say, 'What year do your books take place?' and the only answer I can give is, in childhood."

"If she can't spell, why is she a librarian? Librarians should know how to spell."

"I don't think anything will ever replace the pleasure of holding a book and turning its pages."

"I had a very wise mother. She always kept books that were my grade level in our house."

"My favorite books are a constantly changing list, but one favorite has remained constant: the dictionary. Is the word I want to use spelled practice or practise? The dictionary knows. The dictionary also slows down my writing because it is such interesting reading that I am distracted."

"If you don't see the book you want on the shelves, write it."

Inspiring Beverly Cleary Quotes

Did you know? Cleary, through her fictional stories and characters like Ramona, introduces children to a new perspective of childhood experiences. Keep reading to get inspired.

"Words were so puzzling. Present should mean a present just as attack should mean to stick tacks in people."

"I think the best teachers had a real interest in the subject they were teaching and a love for children. Some of the teachers were just doing their job, but others had that little extra."

"Neither the mouse nor the boy was the least bit surprised that each could understand the other. Two creatures who shared a love for motorcycles naturally spoke the same language."

"Ramona was filled with the glory of losing her first tooth and love for her teacher. Miss Binney had said she was brave! This day was the most wonderful day in the world! The sun shone, the sky was blue, and Miss Binney loved her."

"She means well, but she always manages to do the wrong thing. She has a real talent for it."

"Didn't the people who made those license plates care about little girls named Ramona?"

Beverly Cleary Quotes For Children

In this section, you'll find quotes from one of Cleary's books called 'The Luckiest Girl". These quotes are for kids and grown ups to enjoy.

"Ramona thought growing up was the slowest thing there was, slower even than waiting for Christmas to come. She had been waiting years just to get to kindergarten, and the last half hour was the slowest part of all."

- The Luckiest Girl, 1958.

"She was not a slowpoke grownup. She was a girl who could not wait. Life was so interesting she had to find out what happened next."

"All her life she had wanted to squeeze the toothpaste really squeeze it,not just one little squirt...The paste coiled and swirled and mounded in the washbasin. Ramona decorated the mound with toothpaste roses as if it was a toothpaste birthday cake."

"Nothing in the whole world felt as good as being able to make something from a sudden idea."

"I just wrote about childhood as I had known it."