Scribbles & Munch

     I really should be writing (with only five days left to my deadline, I REALLY should be writing), but I had to take pause & compose a brief tribute to the late, great Beverly Cleary, one of my favorite childhood authors.  She passed away today, at the age of 104.  A living legend gone to rest.

I should have known she was a cat person.

    Beverly Cleary books were staples on my bookshelf until I went to college & had to clean out my old room.  Cleary captured such perfect, universally relatable childhood experiences in her stories.  Of course Ramona was my favorite character.  I still remember relating to how Ramona cherished her new school supplies, her creative approach to book reports, & the balance of love & annoyance she felt towards her older sister. 

    Spinning such ordinary events into such memorable tales is nothing short of art, and Beverly Cleary made it look easy!

    I watched TV as a child, & I played video games.  But there's a feeling that I got (& still get) from connecting to a character in a book that can't be replicated in any other media.  So far as I can tell, Beverly Cleary spent a lifetime steeped in books, both as a writer & a librarian.  In my mind, that is a quiet, simple, & truly beautiful way to make the world a better place.

    Thanks, Beverly!  Rest in peace.