A cute look into the author’s life. Perfect for an elementary school library! Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC!

As I've said in multiple book reviews before, Picture Book Biographies are my favorite genre of Children's Literature. 'Just Like Beverly' by Vicki Conrad was a perfect addition to my own personal collection.

I have been a fan of Beverly Cleary since I was a kid myself and now I have my own children hooked, as well. My Henry is particularly fond of Henry Huggins. ;) Conrad's book is a beautifully written and illustrated story of what Cleary's life was like as a child. If you've read any of the Ramona books, some of it might sound a little familiar.

I adore how Cleary knew that kids needed books about other kids just like them and spent her life making that happen. She is an icon and the world has been devastated since her passing earlier this year.

Back when the Pandemic lockdown started, I decided that kids who were stuck at home were missing out on their classroom teachers and their school librarians reading to them each day, so I decided *I* would be that reader for them. Vicki Conrad's book was one of my favorites that I shared on my daily reading.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=546744142615810 (Part 1)
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=197977744823115 (Part 2)

A HUGE Thank You to NetGalley & Sasquatch Books for the opportunity to read and review this book. I loved it so much, I purchased a copy for my home library.

RATING: 4 STARS
2019; Sasquatch Books/Little Bigfoot
(Review Not on Blog)

This brief biography for kids has gorgeous illustrations and introduced readers to a beloved author. This is a great book to read with kids. I loved Beverly Cleary as a kid, and am enjoying my rereads. Cleary wrote for kids that wanted to read books where the characters were like them. Cleary has been writing for several decades, so the novels are a bit dated, but the same feelings you have reading them never changes.

***I received an eARC from NETGALLEY***

Kids still love to read about Beverly Cleary and will love to read about what she was like at their own age.

I read a lot of Cleary growing up. Basically every book I could get my hands on but I never read a biography. This one really spoke to me. We get the clear parallels between Beverly's early life and the characters she created. It's a biography in the vein of "famous people are just people". Beverly Cleary had no special training or background in writing. She was simply someone who saw a need and set herself to the task of fulfilling that need. The text is engaging but easy to understand. And I love that Hahn's illustrations are reminiscent of the original Cleary book illustrations.

I love Beverly Cleary's books. I didn't love this biography. I do see the author's challenge; Clearly's life was rather ordinary. I just wish the biography was more inspiring and less report-like. Cleary's voice and personality didn't come through. As Cleary is still alive at 103, there's time to wait for another biography that will spark the imaginations of young readers.
Review based on an ARC received through NetGalley.

This is a biography on Beverly Clearly. It is a picture book but it is wordy. So, I would recommend this for 3rd grade and up. This begins in Beverly’s childhood into adulthood. It shows the struggles she went through and how she succeeded through it all.

'Just Like Beverly: A Biography of Beverly Cleary' by Vicki Conrad with illustrations by David Hohn is the true story of a beloved author.

Beverly Cleary grew up in a small town without many books. She had a group of friends and they liked playing outside. When she went to school, the books she read didn't interest her because they didn't seem to be about her and her friends. This is the story of how she came to write those kinds of stories.

I loved this inspiring story, and I especially loved the illustrations. They look like classic childrens book illustrations. I really liked this inspiring story about not finding what you are looking for, then setting out to make it.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Sasquatch Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

The book I remember the most from my elementary school library was a biography on Walt Disney. Just like Beverly reminds me of that feeling I got back then. Beverly Cleary was my favorite childhood author behind Laura Ingalls Wilder. Reading this biography has whetted my appetite to go back and re-read Cleary’s books and read the ones I missed.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, Sasquatch Book, through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.

Loved the biography of Beverly Cleary. This book tells the story of Beverly's difficulties in learning to read. Once she overcame that, she fell in love with books. And having written 40 books books for children in her lifetime, she remains a favorite author of young and old alike. I especially liked her because several years ago, in response to a letter I wrote to her, she sent me the warmest letter, wishing me well on my writing career. It's one of my treasured memories. Now I want to reread my Ramona books!

This is a lovely, child friendly biography of Beverly Cleary. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous in cheerful colors and expressive images. How wonderful that this is being published while Cleary is still alive. The book focuses on reading for pleasure and how Cleary herself had some trouble reading as a child. A beautiful tribute that is sure to be widely read.

I was given a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Beverly Cleary is a beloved children's author who started writing stories because she couldn't find ones to read herself. This was an interesting look at her life, and I would have loved it as a child. The illustrations were delightful.

I'm not sure if it was because it was an ARC of if the book will truly be like this, but it was repetitive. It seemed like the book almost completely repeated itself. The formatting was very off - sentences would start on one page, then finish three pages later.

Just Like Beverly
A Biography of Beverly Cleary

by Vicki Conrad

Sasquatch Books

Little Bigfoot

Children's Nonfiction

Pub Date 13 Aug 2019


I am reviewing a copy of Just Like Beverly through Little Bigfoot and Netgalley:


Just Like Beverly is the beautifully written and illustrated story of Beverly Clearly.



As a little girl Beverly Clearly struggled to learn to read and found most children’s books uninteresting. She wondered why there weren’t more books with stories about kids like her. With a lot of hard work and the support of her parents and a special teacher who did not give up on her Beverly did learn to read, and even learned at a young age she had a gift for writing.


In this non fiction book Beverly Cleary’s life unfolds, and she grows to follow her dreams of writing the books she longed to read as a child. Showing how she would become an award winning writer and one of the most famous children's authors of all time.



I give Just Like Beverly five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC.

This was a wonderful biography of Beverly Cleary. I love that it shares about her love of books, but also her struggle in school. A great growth mindset example! I enjoyed the illustrations and the book also had a timeline of Cleary's life.

This is a wonderful book for young readers interested in biographies or wanting to do research on a famous person.

This young adult biography of Beverly Cleary is an interesting presentation of the life of a beloved children’s author. The Kindle version is a bit jumbled and disjointed. Pagination corrections in the print version will provide a story that allows young. readers to learn of the life and inspiration of the cherished author.

This is very nice picture book biography of Beverly Cleary, the award winning, much loved author. It talks in simple terms about her early life and her inspiration for becoming a writing. The art work is pleasant and will remind readers of the original artwork from the Beverly Cleary books.

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Growing up, Ramona Quimby was one of my favorite people. I was flattered when my big sister compared me to her (turns out she had not meant that as a compliment). To this day, Beverly Cleary remains one of my favorite authors. She seems to just get children-their fears, their struggles, and their triumphs. This biography is a wonderful introduction to the beloved author. I’m dyslexic and reading about Beverly’s struggles with reading was a wonderful discovery. This is an excellent book to share with a struggling reader.

This is the charming story of Beverly Cleary’s life. While growing up in Portland, Oregon, Beverly struggled to learn to read because the stories were so boring. She determined that she would grow up and write interesting stories for children so that they would be spared from the drudgery of reading bland books. With encouragement, first from several teachers throughout her life, and then from her husband, her writing blossomed. Beverly completed college and became a librarian where her dream to write stories for children continued to grow. A timeline of important events in her life can be found in the back of the book.

What a gift Beverly has given to children. Her books are timeless. The stories are funny, interesting, and relevant to children still today. Who knows how many children have developed a love for reading through her work. Personally, my family listened to her book Emily’s Runaway Imagination on CD a decade and a half ago while driving a long distance for vacation. The stories have stuck with us all these years. Not only that, but my husband grew up in the same neighborhood as Beverly, five decades after her childhood. So we can literally and vividly picture the neighborhood Beverly mentions in her books.

This would be a lovely addition to any classroom or library. I highly recommend it.

As an avid reader when I was little and still now, I am really excited about this book. Just Like Beverly by Vicki Conrad is a biography about Beverly Cleary, a popular children's book writer. The feeling she describes of not seeing herself represented realistically in the books she was reading as a young child is an issue that I felt as well and that has come up as a topic again in the last couple of years for certain topics. Her story is encouraging. heartwarming, and the illustrations adding a fun layer to the story. i will be excited to add this to my bookshelf.

My daughter ( 7 years old) and i really liked to read this book, we did not know beverly Clearly, and we were very curious page by page to read about her life...Ribsy's. my daughter continued asking me why she had struggle in learing how to read well... and i explained her that this problem is common to many kids, but with the help of good people and sometimes with speech therapy many of them improve or even win their difficulties....
we live in Italy so it will l not be easy to find these books. very happy you gave me the opportunity to read this interesting book!