Every day brings a new story. And each day contributes to the art of story telling -- in prose and poetry, in music, on the stage, on the screen, and, of course, in books.
Today is the story of April 12th
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It is the 102nd day of the year, leaving 263 days remaining in 2022.
A librarian by trade, Cleary started writing books for children because she was tired of being unable to find books they requested -- simply tales about their lives and concerns and frustrations they wanted to read and could related to. In short, she said, they said they wanted stories about children "like us."
Her first book, published in 1950, was Henry Huggins. The school-aged boy and his dog, Ribsy, lived on Klickitat Street in Portland, Ore., near where she was raised. The book describes Henry's adventures in his neighborhood and with his dog.
She wrote several books in the series, with titles such as Henry and the Paper Route, and Henry and the Clubhouse.
Cleary also wrote a series about one of Henry's neighbors, Ramona Quimby. Her series, about a young girl from nursery school to the fourth grade, dealt with some serious issues, such as a parent losing a job and the death of a family pet.
Ramona is portrayed as a mischievous child who is someimes seen as an annoying pest, but is also shown sympathetically as one girl just trying to grow up and mature. By the time the series ends, Ramona is still imaginative and rambunctious, but more able to control her emotions.
Cleary was praised for taking the concerns of children seriously, and writing about them with gentle humor. She won numerous awards, including a National Book award in 1981, and the Newbery Medal in 1984. At the time of her death, she was regularly termed a "beloved children's writer."
She died in 2021 at the age of 104 at her home in California.
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