From: Ginny Moore Kruse <gmkruse>
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 16:09:46 -0500

Today I looked at Beverly Cleary's entry in the "Something Autobiographical about the Author" series - vol. 20 (Gale, c1995).

I had hoped to have the question we've been considering illuminated. I had expected to find more concerning Cleary's adult observations so bitter in tone and painful to read - about her relationship with her mother. However, the SAAS entry is excerpted from the book "A Girl from Yamhill," and it ends as Beverly enters adolescence. I had forgotten that young readers use that reference series, too, That's is one reason for excerpting material written for publication as memoirs less likely to be opened by readers of Ramona and Henry, et al. Some of you have had the chance to hear responses to these two memoirs from readers younger than adult ages. If so, how do they respond?

We still have time to hear more from readers of Cleary's fiction, too
- anecdotes about young readers or about yourselves as young and/or adult readers... What is memorable? Why?

If you still haven't had a chance to visit the Bevery Cleary web site on the internet, you might want to do this, or at least to note the address http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/cleary.htm

I'll remind you, too, about the fine web pages developed by the Multnomah County Library featuring Portland's Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden www.multnomah.lib.or.us/lib/kids/cleary.html

Cheers! Ginny

Ginny Moore Kruse (gmkruse at ccbc.education.wisc.edu) Cooperative Children's Book Center, A Library of the School of Education University of Wisconsin - Madison http:/www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/
Received on Mon 28 Aug 2000 04:09:46 PM CDT