Viola Davis and Reese Witherspoon pay tribute to Beverly Cleary

In the wake of the death of renowned children’s author Beverly Cleary, who died Thursday at the age of 104, fans, former young readers and other writers have taken to social media to remember the impact of Cleary’s funny, engaging and relatable stories, including To all the boys I’ve loved before author Jenny Han, Small fires everywhere author Celeste Ng, and princess diaries author Meg Cabot. Recalled Viola Davis, “You made my childhood fun,” while Reece Witherspoon tweeted, “I have the fondest memories of reading the Ramona series.”

Oregonians, in particular, have paid tribute to Cleary, as the author was born in McMinnville and raised in Yamhill and Portland, a childhood where she described her memoirs from 1988. A girl from Yamhill. Cleary was recalled by Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler; state governor Kate Brown; and Congressmen Kurt Schrader and Earl Blumenauer, the latter of whom visited the Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden in Portland to see the town statues of the beloved figures of Cleary, Ramona Quimby and Henry Huggins.