Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona • Page 43

FROM THE COVER THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC E2 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2006 MS Kids writer inspires love of reading across generations Here's a D.E AR idea: Enjoy a book with a kid On Page 31 of Ramona Quimby, Age 8, third-graders in Mrs. Whaley's class guess what D.E.A.R. stands for: "Do Everything All Right," one student offers. "Don't Eat A Reader," blurts Yard Ape, who is closer. "Drop Everything And Run," Ramona yells.

Finally, the class figures it out: Drop Everything And Read is Mrs. Whaley's more interesting name for the boring Sustained Silent Reading. Only Ramona prefers the more sophisticated-sounding Sustained Silent Reading and sticks to that while everyone else has D.E.A.R. Today, families are being encouraged to designate a special time to D.E.A.R., in celebration of Ramona author Beverly Cleary's 90th birthday. Cleary receives thousands of letters every year from students who participate in D.E.A.R.

in school. The initiative is sponsored by the National Parent Teacher Association, the National Education Association's Read Across America, the American Library Association and HarperCollins Children's Books. The idea is to take a break from your busy routine and read together for at least 30 minutes on a cozy couch in your living room or at your neighborhood library or bookstore. "When parents read to or with children, their oral language skills such as vocabulary, listening comprehension and definitional vocabulary improve," said Marvin Young, a spokesman for the National Center for Family Literacy. "And we believe there are strong links between oral language development in young children and later reading success." For details, go to www.dropeverythingandread.com.

Janie Magruder mi 1 Litchfield Park man said. "Her books brought me warmth and acceptance as I traveled along with Henry and his wonderful pal." Eckhardt was too poor to own books, so he went to the public library as often as possible to check them out. Today, he owns about a dozen Geary books, which he reads occasionally for the memories. Although Cleary says her stories didn't take place in any particular time, they were set in the same place: her own neighborhood in northwest Portland, which she still visits from time to time. A love of reading James Burke of Scottsdale grew up in a Portland suburb and once convinced his mom to drive him and his sister across town to find the "square white house on Klickitat Street." (And yes, he thinks they found it.) Burke, now a 35-year-old insurance agent, said Cleary related to children and never talked down to them.

"The situations her characters find themselves in may be a little dated these days, but they were always very believable," he said. "She turned the light bulb of reading on for me." Greta Bryan used Geary's books to flip the switch for hundreds of her students in Iowa City, Iowa, during the 1960s. "Each afternoon, right after lunch, or at the end of the day, or both, Henry Huggins, Ribsy and Beezus sent my fifth-graders into a happy place, a funny place, a place they recognized," said the 71-year-old retiree, who spends winters in Sun City West. "All I ever had to do to convince my students to get their work finished and corrected was a promise of 15 more minutes of Beverly Cleary." Bryan figures today's fifth-graders are more sophisticated, but she hopes they haven't grown up too quickly and missed Cleary. Courtney Evans hasn't.

The WRITER Continued from El Instead, she thought about the little boys with whom she grew up in the 1920s and a young library patron who once wondered why there no books for "kids like us." An idea took root, and Cleary got busy, using a stack of typing paper left behind by the previous owners of the first home she and Clarence bought. Cleary struck gold with a quick succession of hits: Henry Huggins in 1950, Ellen Tebbits in 1951, Henry Beezus in 1952, Otis Spofford in 1953 and Henry Ribsy in 1954. One of Geary's most endearing characters debuted as the 4-year-old sister of Beezus in Beezus and Ramona (1955). "People assume that I was (Ramona)," Cleary said wifh a laugh. "I had some of her feelings, and I did some of the things she did.

In one of the early books, I refer to her starting to walk around the world, because that sounded like fun to me. "But Ramona was sort of an accident. It occurred to me that all the children in my "She turned the light bulb of reading on for me" James Burke Beverly Cleary fan from Scottsdale books appeared to be only children, and so I tossed in Ramona," she said, naming the character after a neighbor. As her own children, twins, a boy and a girl, grew up, they brought home interesting tales of school and friends, from which Cleary developed more stories. Ribsy, a 1964 book about Henry Huggins' mis-.

chievous mutt, is Wes Eck- hardt's favorite. "He was named Ribsy be-; cause he was always hungry and looking for that bone, and I guess I was in the same place," the 52-year-old ROSS D. FRANKLINTHE ARIZONA REPUBLIC Wes Eckhardt of Litchfield Park shares one of his Beverly Cleary books with granddaughter Cierra Schaeffer, 8, of Seattle. Hi moved away." When Geary visited Gladstone Elementary in Cranston, R.I., in the 1960s, third-grader Lisa Marie Martin was in the audience. The author's not-so-perfect characters helped her escape from "the reality of the lonely little fat nerd that I was often mistaken for," said Martin, now a Maricopa County deputy attorney.

"I can still feel the thick plastic cover on the library copy of my favorite book, Henry Ribsy, and open it in my mind to see how many times I checked it out in the year I was 8," said the Phoenix woman, 47. "And how many times I took a flashlight and that book to bed and 'ruined my eyes' reading in the dark." Family act Geary's books have put siblings, parents and children on I been reillustrated and repackaged for release this month and this summer, but not a word has been changed. She also retains script approval for Ramona Quimby, a movie currently in development by Fox 2000. Over the years, Cleary has been her own toughest critic. "I just wanted to write something that children would really want to read," she said.

"I have started books and thought, 'I'm not enjoying this, why would someone and it goes in the wastebasket." Fans will be disappointed to know she has written her last book. "I think it's important to know when to stop," said Cleary, who spends her days doing crossword puzzles and reading books that her son, Malcolm, brings to her. Her only advice to kids is something you might expect, given her background: "Use the library, and if you don't know what to read, ask the librarian!" she said. Reach the reporter at janie or (602) 444-8998. Think you know Ramona? One of Beverly Cleary's most beloved characters is Ramona Quimby.

Cleary wrote eight books that starred the girl. But how well do you know Ramona? Take this quiz to find out. 9-year-old Phoenix girl read her first Cleary book in first grade and has since zipped through 11 others. She sees a bit of herself in Ramona who, in Ramona Quimby, Age 8, cracks a raw egg on her head and becomes an egghead. "That's probably what I would do," Courtney said with a giggle.

"I do a lot of embarrassing stuff at school." Cleary's books have a way of bringing back great memories. "I can even remember the chair I was sitting in while reading Ellen Tebbits as a fourth-grader," said Scottsdale resident Tami Shaw, raised in Chicago in the 1970s. "I immediately identified with Ellen because we both took dancing lessons. While I didn't own any woolen underwear, I did suffer Ellen's embarrassments, said things I regretted and lost a best friend who Lr.l i 6. In Ramona Quimby, Age 8, Ramona: a.

Cracks a raw egg on her head and becomes an egghead. b. Throws up in front of her class. Eats with her family at the Whopperburger and a mysterious stranger pays for their meals. All of the above.

Cleary's last Ramona book, Ramona's World, was published in: 1999. b. 1990. c. 1985.

d. 1998. versatility I3V8 Committed j. to our customers, dedicated to each other. Become a part of our dynamic team A Beverly the same page, literally and figuratively.

"Growing up, my sister and I loved to read Beverly Cleary," said Shawn Kirkilew-ski-Flora, 31, of Phoenix. "We loved them so much that we named our two hamsters Ramona and Beezus." Winn King loved that Cleary's characters comically misinterpreted unknown words: Ramona implored her older sister, Beezus, to turn on the "dawnzer lee light" to read her book in the bedroom, having misheard "dawn's early light" in the Star-Spangled Banner. It's a line the Gilbert woman often says to her daughter, 15-year-old Allison, when her reading light needs to be brighter. "You can just see Ramona saying that," King said with a laugh. "She was so insistent." Cleary is fiercely protective of her work, and at a time when some stories are being modernized by publishers, she won't allow it.

She thinks children have the same needs today as when she first began writing for family, home and friends. Some of her books have 1 1 "REPUBLIC MAGAZINES I La 1. Ramona lives on Klickitat Street in: a. Denver. b.

Seattle. c. Austin. d. Portland, Ore.

2. While Ramona is a kinder-gartner at Glenwood School, what kind of business is going up across the street? a. A gas station. b. A workout gym.

c. A grocery store. d. A newspaper office. 3.

What makes Ramona vow to marry Beezus' friend, Henry Huggins? a. Henry saves Ramona from the wrath of Beezus. b. Henry rescues Ramona and her books from a mud puddle. c.

Henry kisses Ramona during the first day of second grade. d. Ramona has exhausted all other options. Sandal prized ') I Mi, jL CLearv 4. In what book does Ramona's family celebrate her father's new job? a.

Ramona and Her Father. b. Beezus and Ramona. c. Ramona and Her Mother.

d. Ramona Forever. 5. In Ramona the Brave, Ramona announces she's going to say a bad word "guts." True or false. for comfort and "I like the wide variety of colors.

I have a pair with just a few holes around the sides that I consider my 'dressy' pair." Marianna Hancin Glendale resident who owns six pairs of Crocs Crocs," Harte said. "They are amazing. The trip ended up in Europe where it was still quite cold. I would wear them with wool socks, but the wind blew through the holes. Some days, I'd just have to wear the expensive walking shoes." Unlike the Flojos or Teva unisex sandal trends in the 1990s, the lightweight, non-slip and odor-resistant sandal is more than a one-summer wonder for Marianna Hancin of Glendale.

She has worn colorful Crocs for two years and owns six pairs. She wears them to work, around the garden and while cleaning her pool. She said she prefers them to her old garden clogs and flip-flops because they float, are c. d. 7.

a. a the are CROCS Continued from El strappy jute espadrilles. Neither rubber nor plastic, the shoes are made of a closed-cell resin called Croslite, which I warms and softens with body heat, molding to the shape of your feet. When you're wear-; ing Crocs, you feel like you're i walking on a trampoline, I cushy and comfortable. The ventilation holes, or ports, help keep feet cool.

Boaters have worn the nutty-looking sandals for years. But everyone, from star chefs and movie stars, seems to have discovered them. You can buy them at the mall at tonv Nordstrom and frendv As Arizona's leading source for news, The Arizona Republic is home to numerous products including azcentral.com, La Voz Publishing, community newspapers and multiple magazines. From sales and marketing to journalism and finance, there are endless opportunities available. We offer: A variety of full and part-time positions in many exciting departments An environment to showcase your skills and begin a career Opportunity for growth Valleywide locations to benefit you and make the most of your time A comprehensive benefits package including retirement and a 401K Plan Some of our current positions: Advertising Sales Executives (Valleywide openings) Senior Recruiter (Phoenix) Advertising Manager (Mesa) Product Development Manager (Phoenix) Compliance Manager (Phoenix) Inbound and Outbound Sales Associates (Phoenix) Visit republicjobs.azcentral.com for a complete list of open opportunities and begin your career today! THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC resistant to mud and dirt, clean up easily and are comfortable, with or without socks.

"I like the wide variety of colors," Hancin said. "I have a pair with just a few holes around the sides that I consider my 'dressy' pair. I wear my red Crocs when I wear navy blue outfits to work." The REI store in Tempe can't keep the sandals, $29.95 pair, in stock, employee Kel-len Bradley said. Since December, the outdoor sporting goods store has carried the Cayman style (the one with the port holes) for men, women and children. "Hikers and people who wear them casually are flocking in," Bradley said.

"They keep your foot well-ventilated. I've seen a couple people hiking in them on Camel-back Mountain. I wouldn't recommend it. I prefer something with a little more grip." If you can't find Crocs in right size or color at a store, shop online at www.crocs.com. Eight styles offered for $30 to $60.

Reach the reporter at (602) 444-8184. i No Fear or at organic Sunflower Markets when you're buying tofu and soy Last November, Joe Harte of Phoenix packed a pair of black Crocs and an expensive pair of walking shoes for a honeymoon trip around the world. He wore his Crocs in Peru, Chile, Argentina, New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, Hong Kong and Kenya. "In 99 days of travel and much walking, I preferred the azcentralcom Vz The Arizona Republic is dn equal opportunity employer and a drug-free workpU.