Happy Birthday to Beverly Cleary! April 12th she turned 104! If you are looking for just a delightful read about the acclaimed children's author this picture book biography will truly inspire. I certainly love the inspiration of Beverly Cleary and what she has done for young minds who just want to enjoy words.
Did you know that Beverly was even quarantined as a child? She had fun in dance class. She wanted roller skates. I love that this book is not just facts about Beverly Cleary but it is truly a biography children will want to read because it is written for them.
Vicki Conrad, the author of Just Like Beverly, takes children on a walk in the life of Beverly Cleary. Children get to see how she was an ordinary kid who once had trouble in reading. Then she became inspired in a new way from a teacher who shared the true love of reading. When Beverly finally found out the secret to reading she couldn't be stopped. This fills the heart of any teacher. Vicki Conrad, a reading specialist teacher knows the struggles and surprises in reading. This is her first book. She developed this story with passion and light to encourage children to read a biography of a true "reading hero," written like a story. Well done, Vicki!
The illustrations are a fantastic modern-retro style that bring to life the characters from a turn-of-the-century childhood to the contemporary look of the forties and fifties. Illustrator, David Hohn has a marvelous combination of pictures from the country landscapes to the city neighborhood life. He is exceptional at creating true emotions on the faces of his characters. This story is full of emotion from disappointment, frustrations, to pensive or daydreaming to elated joy and surprise.
It is wonderful to find out you have loved an artist without even knowing you are following them. I have enjoyed some of his previous books and hadn't even known. One of my favorite novels which was a first on my blog/reviews, Tuesdays at the Castle, was illustrated by him. David Hohn lives in Portland and has a close connection to the Beverly Cleary story.
This picture book biography inspires children, teachers, writers and the heart of imagination that shares the love of story and reading.
Thank you Sasquatch Books publishers who have made this local hero book a gift for reading and children.
To read author interview: https://www.amylamae.com/post/author-interview-vicki-conrad
To read illustrator interview: https://www.amylamae.com/post/picture-book-illustrator-interview
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