Jaqueline Rogers has been a professional children's book illustrator for more than twenty years and has worked on nearly one hundred children's books. Her characters, including Beezus and Ramona Quimby, Henry Huggins, and Ralph, the motorcycle-riding mouse, have delighted children for generations.

Henshaw won the Newbery Medal, and Ramona Quimby, Age 8 and Ramona and Her Father have been named Newbery Honor Books. Cleary's books have earned her many prestigious awards, including the American Library Association's Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, presented to her in recognition of her lasting contribution to children's literature. And so, the Klickitat Street gang was born!

Born in McMinnville, Oregon, she lived on a farm in Yamhill until she was six and then moved to Portland. 176 About the Author BEVERLY CLEARY is one of America’s most popular authors. She based her funny stories on her own neighborhood experiences and the sort of children she knew. Brave Ramona, that’s what they would think, just about the bravest girl in the first grade. When a young boy asked her, 'Where are the books about kids like us?' she remembered her teacher's encouragement and was inspired to write the books she'd longed to read but couldn't find when she was younger. Before long, her school librarian was saying that she should write children's books when she grew up. But by third grade, after spending much time in her public library in Portland, Oregon, she found her skills had greatly improved. As a child, she struggled with reading and writing. Beverly Cleary is one of America's most beloved authors.

Ramona the brave author