Beverly Atlee Cleary was an American writer of children's and young adult fiction. As one of America's most successful authors, she sold 91 million copies of her books worldwide since her first book was published in 1950. Some of her best-known characters include Ramona Quimby, Beezus Quimby, Henry Huggins and his dog Ribsy, and Ralph S. Mouse.

The majority of Cleary's books are set in the Grant Park neighborhood of northeast Portland, Oregon, where she was raised. She is credited as one of the first authors of children's literature to incorporate emotional realism into the narratives of her characters, who often belonged to middle-class families. Her first children's book, Henry Huggins, was inspired by a question from a child when Cleary was working as a librarian.

Cleary's accolades include the 1981 National Book Award for Ramona and Her Mother and the 1984 Newbery Medal for Dear Mr. Henshaw. For her lifetime contributions to American literature, she received the National Medal of Arts, recognition as a Library of Congress Living Legend, and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal from the Association for Library Service to Children.

In Portland, the Beverly Cleary School was named in her honor, and several statues of her famous characters were erected in Grant Park in 1995. She passed away on March 25, 2021, at the age of 104.