I was just wondering recently if Ms. Cleary was still alive- thanks for the update! Her sweet, humorous books bring back warm memories for me.

I loved your books when I was a child and right at this moment my 8 1/2 year old daughter is tearing thru them. Four more came yesterday from Amazon and she has devoured two already. They finally have Ramona the Brave back in stock and it should be here tomorrow. That makes the final Ramona book and she has two more Henry books to finish and then on to the rest. She spent this afternoon during a break from reading working on her Wish List to list all the Beverly Cleary books she doesn't have.

I watch her reading and just love to see the joy on her face. I envy her first reading of these books I loved so much. We had to use the library the vast majority of the time when I was a child and I am happy she can own them. I always hated to have to give books back. My daughter is happily planning on rereading them all again in order when she is through with them all the first time.

And we have borrowed the books on tape from the library - Stockard Channing does such a wonderful job on the Ramona Books and Neal Patrick Harris is brilliant on the Henry Huggins books. We both love hearing the stories told by such great story tellers. And we have had just wonderful discussions of the books, of the references to all the things that were once commonplace but unfamiliar to a child of 2006.

Thanks for giving you books and characters to us.

Although being the oldest of a gaggle of siblings, I usually sympathized with Beezus!

Happy Birthday to Beverly, and many more. Her books were my favorites, and sharing them with my dog loving daughter was special.

Fantastic!! I loved all of her books. And now my daughter does too. She is 4 - my husband & I have read all the Ramona books to her & are working our way thru Henry's books. She is excited about one day reading them back to us. My daughter now has an imaginary sister named Ramona & has choosen Portland as out next vacation spot. Klickitat Street here we come.

Thank you Mrs. Cleary for giving so many children (& parents) books they can be excited to read.

I mentioned this article to my daughter this morning and she demanded I post the following for her.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MS. CLEARY! My favorite book is Ramona's World. I just love it so much! Please write some new Ramona books.

Love,

Wilhelmina

I met Beverly Cleary when I was 11 years old. I won an essay contest (judged by her) among city grade schoolers for the privilege of meeting her and receiving an autographed copy of The Mouse and the Motorcycle. (the subject of the essay)

She was a lovely person - easy, friendly, who treated me as if I were a princess. I got my first "high heels" at the time, in honor of my victory and for the meeting - I was so proud, clicking along in my little heels to meet her.

(we are talking back in the sixties, folks...sling-back, taffeta-bowed "heels" of about 1 inch) She autographed a fresh new copy of the book, with many compliments about my essay...calling me a "delightful future author" in the dedication. How thoughful and encouraging!

Happy Birthday to you, Ms. Cleary; and thank you for all the wonderful books that enriched my life.

This article brought back such great memories. I loved all the Ramona books and have saved them for any children I have in the future. I love knowing that Ms. Cleary's stories still live somewhere in the back of my brain!

Here's wishing a wonderful writer the very best on her birthday. I loved her stories when I read them back in the late '60s. Loved how Henry fashioned a boy's bike with a broomstick, how Ramona named her doll "Chevrolet" after her aunt's car (and 'cause it sounded classy) and fingerpainted the neighbor's cat. They, and Beezus, were dear friends who happened to live in books.

It's great to know from other Salon readers that Ms. Cleary's books still resonate today. That's quite a legacy. Many happy returns, Ms. C!

I loved the Beezus and Ramona books. It sometimes felt like Ms. Cleary was writing about my little sister and me; the illustrations even bore an eerie resemblance to us. My kid sister was the cute pest who annoyed me constantly, but whom I loved in spite of everything, because, after all, she was my sister. I'm so happy that Beverly Cleary has been so prolific--there are lots of books that I liked when I was a kid that seem a bit dated now, but the Ramona books will never, never, never go out of date as long as little sisters pester their big ones.

I was "Ramona" to my sister's "Beezus" so of course I have fond memories of the Cleary canon. ("Bevvy" was the common nickname for Beverly in my peer group.) How nice that the books are still in print, with a few more to come, so my grand-nieces can have their turn to identify with the Quimby girls!

But with regard to Ramona's naming her doll "Chevrolet" (and, I believe, another character naming a toy "Bendix" after the then-popular brand of household appliances)...well, it seems to predate the current fad for parents (especially but not limited to celebrities) to name their kids for cities, fruit, machinery etc. So Ms. Cleary was also Ms. Clairvoyant!