Beverly Cleary was a children’s book author famous for her fictional character creations adored by millions of children and adults worldwide. Since 1950, Cleary wrote over 40 books and became one of America’s most successful authors.

Cleary passed away last Thursday in Carmel, CA. She was 104 years old. HarperCollins Publishers, Cleary’s publishing company, reported the tragic news Friday.

“We are saddened by the passing of Beverly Cleary, one of the most beloved children’s authors of all time,” HarperCollins Publishers President Suzanne Murphy said in the publishing company’s announcement of Cleary’s death. “Looking back, she’d often say, ‘I’ve had a lucky life,’ and generations of children count themselves lucky too — lucky to have the very real characters Beverly Cleary created, including Henry Huggins, Ramona and Beezus Quimby, and Ralph S. Mouse, as true friends who helped shape their growing-up years.”

Cleary’s books had a massive international outreach. Over 91 million copies of her books have been sold globally in 29 different languages. Cleary’s humorous books have such an astronomical effect on people because they are relatable. The Oregon native molded the stories after her childhood and what she had witnessed others experience. She illustrated the struggles of everyday life, such as a parent losing their job or parenting alone, from a child’s perspective. The iconic stories conveyed problems that many faced, particularly a middle-class American childhood. Characters like the whimsical Romona Quimby diving into her wild imagination to escape the hardships of her family’s financial circumstances are something that many can resonate with.

Cleary went beyond the typical perfect personality of the protagonists for her works. The main characters ranged from nuisances to bullies to goody-two-shoes. The children’s book author’s most famous characters were Henry Huggins, Risby the dog, Ralph S. Mouse, Romona Quimby, and Beezus Quimby. Cleary’s creations have even been portrayed in film adaptations such as the 2010 movie “Romona and Beezus” starring acclaimed actors Selena Gomez as “Beezus Quimby” and Joey King as “Romona Quimby”.

Beverly Cleary was born in McMinnville, OR, on April 12. 1916. The only child spent her youth on a farm in the neighboring town, Yamhill. Then her family moved to Portland. A teacher at Cleary’s school encouraged her to become a children’s book author after reading papers she wrote for class. The words of encouragement resonated with young Cleary through her various studies at Chaffey College, UC Berkeley and the University of Washington, where she received bachelor’s degrees in English and Librarianship. Cleary met her husband Clarence at Berkeley, and the couple got married in 1940.

Following her time in college, Cleary worked as a children’s librarian and started her writing. According to HarperCollins, the catalyst for Cleary’s theme of relatable book plots was when a boy at the library asked her, “Where are the books about kids like us?”.

Cleary’s works began getting published in 1950, and with that grew a large fanbase of young readers. Cleary’s final book,” Ramona’s World,” was published in 1999, almost 50 years after the pesky and imaginative sister made her debut in “Henry Huggins.”

The successful author went on to win a plethora of awards for her best-selling books. A few of the highlights from her winning streak were receiving the John Newbery Medal for the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children and being granted the title ‘Living Legend’ by the Library of Congress in 2000.

“We at HarperCollins also feel extremely lucky to have worked with Beverly Cleary and to have enjoyed her sparkling wit,” HarperCollins President stated. “Her timeless books are an affirmation of her everlasting connection to the pleasures, challenges, and triumphs that are part of every childhood”.

Cleary’s husband, Clarence, passed away in 2004. Beverly and Clarence are survived by their two children, Malcolm and Marianne.

Cleary said in an interview with National Public Radio in 2006 that she expected children would still read her books for years and years to come.

“You can curl up with a book, and I don’t think anything takes the place of reading,” Cleary said.

Her expectation became a tremendously successful reality. Beverly Cleary created stories that will live on in the hearts of so many people. That is an incredibly inspirational legacy to leave.