One of the fondest memories of my life will be my mother reading me "The Mouse And The Motorcycle" when I was just a chunk of a lad. For my entire life, my answer to "Who is your favorite living female author?" was Beverly Cleary. I feel that I, and the world, have been stripped of a little light today. We'll never recover from this loss, but I hope that we can rebuild in the precocious and excited spirit her books embody. Rest In Peace.