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Cleary: just a Girl from Yamhill?
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From: Ginny Moore Kruse <gmkruse>
Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2000 15:14:07 -0500
I just skimmed the comments made so far this month about the impact of one or more of Beverly Cleary's books on the lives of so many of you. Collectively a considerable number of individuals have contributed what has become an amazing series of tributes to one or more of Cleary's books for children.
By the way, when you respond or contribute a message, it's so helpful to others if you will erase the copy of the previous message before sending yours.
The CCBC-Net community of mostly adults has begun to document the power of 1) characters such as Ramona, Henry, Ellen, and others for them as young readers; 2) of one way of family life, real or fictional
(especially for adults such as Lisa Falk & Walter Mayes who experienced lots of family moves as children; 3) particular types of plots or uses of humor; and 4) memorable scenes from fiction read for the most part
- long ago.
You've written about the impact these books have had on yourselves as young readers and on young readers you know. Some of you missed reading them as children by chance or chronology, and you discovered them as parents or teachers or librarians. Robin Smith makes certain to introduce a Cleary book to her second graders each year because Cleary remembers what it feels like to be little. Ginee Seo owes her entire reading career to some of these books.
Barbara Lalicki attended the dedication of a university dormitory named after Beverly Cleary - and Barbara can tell us all more, too, I know, because she's edited some of Cleary's books. Some of you have already visited the sculpture garden in Portland; on a regular basis Katie O'Dell gets to pass it, along with other actual sites from some of Cleary's books. Thanks, Katie, for guiding us to your library's web pages featuring the sculptures: www.multnomah.lib.or.us/lib/kids/cleary.html
Leonard Marcus pointed out on Aug. 11 that Cleary herself & Connie Epstein, Cleary's editor for the first Ramona books, were clearly aware that the character Ramona was older than her likely readers, and they speculated - correctly - that the nature of Cleary's humor would make the difference.
You've all written with such feeling and energy. Each message has been important. Each personal anecdote is helpful as we seek to understand why Cleary apparently remains so popular with some (many?) of today's young readers and book buyers. We hope we can hear from others with Cleary stories, anecdotes, and memories. We hope those of you who know or have worked with Beverly Cleary will step up to the mike - so to speak - at any time between now and the end of August.
Linda Sue Park discovered that she could take the risk of saying that she wasn't a Cleary fan as a child. Kathy Crook and others didn't enjoy "Dear Mr. Henshaw." It's perfectly fine to admit to lukewarm and even negative responses to books (movies? TV shows? celebrities?) so many others seem to admire. It's helpful to know this, otherwise people can get the idea that everyone - absolutely everyone - loves this or that book. This is one of the reasons a child or adult can begin to feel excluded, different, even wrong. As Megan said, there's always room for respectful, constructive disagreement in the CCBC-Net community. Any time.
A couple of weeks ago, Lisa Von Drasek wrote, "As a young children's bookseller in my early twenties I read as much of Bevery Cleary as I could (there was a scary moment when Mitch and Amy was out of stock) and I was struck by all the children's literature references. Only after reading "A Girl from Yamhill : A Memoir" (Morrow, 1988) and "My Own Two Feet : A Memoir" (Morrow, 1995), did I understand that Ms. Cleary was continuing her reader's reference work in her fiction."
(GMK: Lisa, I added the publication info to your quote, hope that's OK.)
Hmm. Continuing her reader's reference work in her fiction? What about this? Please reflect on how you understand Cleary's books if you've also had the chance to read one or both of Cleary's memoirs. I'm particularly curious as to how kids who read them take the news that Beverly Cleary had such a painful, even bitter, relationship with her mother. ....Ginny
- Ginny Moore Kruse (gmkruse at education.wisc.edu) Cooperative Children's Book Center (www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/) A Library of the School of Education, University of Wisconsin Madison
(opening once again for public service on Aug. 21 with new carpeting and fresh paint!)0
Received on Fri 18 Aug 2000 03:14:07 PM CDT
Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2000 15:14:07 -0500
I just skimmed the comments made so far this month about the impact of one or more of Beverly Cleary's books on the lives of so many of you. Collectively a considerable number of individuals have contributed what has become an amazing series of tributes to one or more of Cleary's books for children.
By the way, when you respond or contribute a message, it's so helpful to others if you will erase the copy of the previous message before sending yours.
The CCBC-Net community of mostly adults has begun to document the power of 1) characters such as Ramona, Henry, Ellen, and others for them as young readers; 2) of one way of family life, real or fictional
(especially for adults such as Lisa Falk & Walter Mayes who experienced lots of family moves as children; 3) particular types of plots or uses of humor; and 4) memorable scenes from fiction read for the most part
- long ago.
You've written about the impact these books have had on yourselves as young readers and on young readers you know. Some of you missed reading them as children by chance or chronology, and you discovered them as parents or teachers or librarians. Robin Smith makes certain to introduce a Cleary book to her second graders each year because Cleary remembers what it feels like to be little. Ginee Seo owes her entire reading career to some of these books.
Barbara Lalicki attended the dedication of a university dormitory named after Beverly Cleary - and Barbara can tell us all more, too, I know, because she's edited some of Cleary's books. Some of you have already visited the sculpture garden in Portland; on a regular basis Katie O'Dell gets to pass it, along with other actual sites from some of Cleary's books. Thanks, Katie, for guiding us to your library's web pages featuring the sculptures: www.multnomah.lib.or.us/lib/kids/cleary.html
Leonard Marcus pointed out on Aug. 11 that Cleary herself & Connie Epstein, Cleary's editor for the first Ramona books, were clearly aware that the character Ramona was older than her likely readers, and they speculated - correctly - that the nature of Cleary's humor would make the difference.
You've all written with such feeling and energy. Each message has been important. Each personal anecdote is helpful as we seek to understand why Cleary apparently remains so popular with some (many?) of today's young readers and book buyers. We hope we can hear from others with Cleary stories, anecdotes, and memories. We hope those of you who know or have worked with Beverly Cleary will step up to the mike - so to speak - at any time between now and the end of August.
Linda Sue Park discovered that she could take the risk of saying that she wasn't a Cleary fan as a child. Kathy Crook and others didn't enjoy "Dear Mr. Henshaw." It's perfectly fine to admit to lukewarm and even negative responses to books (movies? TV shows? celebrities?) so many others seem to admire. It's helpful to know this, otherwise people can get the idea that everyone - absolutely everyone - loves this or that book. This is one of the reasons a child or adult can begin to feel excluded, different, even wrong. As Megan said, there's always room for respectful, constructive disagreement in the CCBC-Net community. Any time.
A couple of weeks ago, Lisa Von Drasek wrote, "As a young children's bookseller in my early twenties I read as much of Bevery Cleary as I could (there was a scary moment when Mitch and Amy was out of stock) and I was struck by all the children's literature references. Only after reading "A Girl from Yamhill : A Memoir" (Morrow, 1988) and "My Own Two Feet : A Memoir" (Morrow, 1995), did I understand that Ms. Cleary was continuing her reader's reference work in her fiction."
(GMK: Lisa, I added the publication info to your quote, hope that's OK.)
Hmm. Continuing her reader's reference work in her fiction? What about this? Please reflect on how you understand Cleary's books if you've also had the chance to read one or both of Cleary's memoirs. I'm particularly curious as to how kids who read them take the news that Beverly Cleary had such a painful, even bitter, relationship with her mother. ....Ginny
- Ginny Moore Kruse (gmkruse at education.wisc.edu) Cooperative Children's Book Center (www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/) A Library of the School of Education, University of Wisconsin Madison
(opening once again for public service on Aug. 21 with new carpeting and fresh paint!)0
Received on Fri 18 Aug 2000 03:14:07 PM CDT
