Waukesha Daily Freeman from Waukesha, Wisconsin • Page 25

readers Distinguished Achievement Awards Winner 1974 sail pa Uil By BETTY DEBNAM Read about a little house and a little mouse. Authors, an Award and a T.V. Show Laura Ingalls Wilder At the remarkable age of 65, Laura Ingalls Wilder began writing her series of books that have become classics. lived everything that happened in my she wrote. Mrs.

Wilder lived from 1867 to 1957. She wrote warm and inspiring books about the hardships and joys of pioneer life. T.V. Show Michael Landon plays Ingalls The T.V. series, House on the is based on Mrs.

books. Although it has been criticized for not being a true picture of pioneer life that the books are, the show is popular with young viewers. (The Award The Laura Ingalls Wilder Award is presented every five years to the author or illustrator whose books have made a lasting contribution to children's literature. Beverly Cleary, winner of the Wilder Award. Winner Beverly Cleary The Laura Ingalls Wilder Award is presented by the Services Division of the American Library Association.

The membership votes for their choice. This is a very big honor. Mrs. Wilder was the first to receive the award back in 1954. Beverly Cleary, whose stories have delighted millions of children, is the winner of the 1975 Wilder Award.

the and and Mouse and the are only a few of the books she has written for the 8 to 12 age group. Mrs. Cleary, who used to be a librarian, lives in Carmel, California. She is the mother of 19 year-old twins. Her hobbies include travel and needle work.

The Mini Page interviewed her by telephone. Q. Your books are very funny. you laugh and chuckle as you write? A. yes.

I laugh with my characters and cry with them, too. When Ribsy, a dog in the Henry Huggins books, barks, I bark, Q. How long does it take you to write a book? A. think about books for years before I write a word. Actually putting words down takes from six months to a year.

I write my first draft in long hand. Then I copy it on the typewriter. I work in the mornings. I work in a small study off my living Q. What advice would you give people who would like to write books? A.

widely while you are growing up, so you will have-standards for judging A mouse named Ralph is a famous Cleary character. He rides a toy motorcycle and wears a crash helmet made from half a ping-pong ball. Waukaaha Fraaman Illustrated by Louis Darling by Beverly Cleary Saturday, April 12. Paga.