PORTLAND, OREGON
THE BOOKS: Beverly Cleary's novelsOUR FAMILY: Shannon Riggs and daughter Sabrina, age 12, and son Jake, 10
OUR TOUR: Portland's Hollywood neighborhood is the fictional home of Ramona Quimby and Henry Huggins, and it was the real home of their creator, who grew up there in the 1920s and '30s. First stop on our Cleary quest is Grant Park, site of the Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden. There's a small, shaded playground, but we're there for the bronze statues of Ramona, Henry, and faithful pup Ribsy. In warm weather, fountains invite children to play in the water at the statues' feet. We have fun posing with the characters we've come to love in novels such as "Ramona the Pest" and "Henry Huggins."
Next, we head to the Hollywood Library to see its architectural centerpiece, a stone map pinpointing some neighborhood spots mentioned in Cleary's books. The map inspires us to walk along Klickitat Street, home address of the Quimby and Huggins families. Craftsman-style houses and tree-lined blocks make it easy to imagine Ramona, her big sister, Beezus, and Henry riding their bikes or taking Ribsy for a walk. Sabrina recalls Ramona "boinging" her classmate Susan's ringlets, while Jake has a sloppier memory: "It was so funny when Ramona's mom packed a raw egg for lunch and Ramona cracked it on her own head!"INSIDE TIP: The Hollywood Library has a Cleary handbook full of Ramona word games and trivia quizzes.
WHILE YOU'RE THERE: Visit Powell's City of Books; you'll find Cleary's novels and a million other volumes.
TO LEARN MORE:
Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden, 503-823-2223
Hollywood Library, 503-988-5391; multcolib.org
Powell's City of Books, 800-878-7323; powells.com
