Critical Reception
Pat Pflieger, professor of children's literature at West Chester University commented: "Cleary's books have lasted because she understands her audience.She knows they're sometimes confused or frightened by the world around them, and that they feel deeply about things that adults can dismiss." Eliza Dresang, Beverly Cleary Professor in Children and Youth Services at the UW Information School notes: "Those books don't seem so radical now, but they were when she was writing them." She suggests that the areas they cover are portrayed with honesty and accuracy. Twentieth-Century Children's Writers says "Beverly Cleary's impact as a children's writer cannot be overestimated." It goes on to cite "her extraordinary talent in creating memorable young characters whose exuberant spirit and zest for life attract young and old readers alike."
Read more about this topic: Beverly Cleary
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