Beverly Cleary passed this day in 2021
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I knew the characters from her books as though they were friends in my back yard.
Her favorite book of mine personally was entitled Ribsy which was about a dog and his adventures with Henry Huggins, his owner.
She was born Beverly Atlee Bunn April 12, 1916 and graduated from the University of Washington in 1939.
She then became a children's librarian in Yakima, Washington, until 1940, and then as the post librarian at the US Army Hospital on Camp John T Knight in Oakland, California from 1942 to 1945.
She also worked at Sather Gate Book Shop in Berkeley before becoming a full-time writer for children.
She passed this day in 2021 at the age of 104.
I will always remember her as a pillar of my childhood. Rest in peace.
Then there were the others associated with Ribsy and Henry Huggins:
Ramona Quimby - Younger sister who evolved from a preschooler to a thoughtful fourth grader.
Beezus Quimby - Ramona's older sister.
Henry Huggins - Boy whow owned Ribsy and lived on Klickitat Street where all the adventures transpired.
Ribsy - Henry's endearing, mutt.
Ellen Tebbits & Otis Spofford - Main characters of their own stories focused on elementary school life and friendship.
Socks - A tabby cat. Subject of the book Socks.
Beverly Cleary's characters explored ordinary, often humorous, family struggles and emotions with honesty.