HAPPY 103rd BIRTHDAY, BEVERLY CLEARY!!

It's hard to believe that some of author Beverly Cleary's beloved characters are nearly 50 years old. Little Ramona, who got in trouble for pulling one of nemesis Susan's curls, middle-aged? Henry Huggins, owner of beloved dog Ribsy, ready for AARP? Could Ramona's big-sister Beezus actually be old enough to be Grandma Beezus?

But it's true, and Cleary herself turns 103 on April 12. When TODAY's Jenna Bush Hager interviewed Cleary in 2016 and asked her about reaching her 100th birthday, Cleary responded with true Ramona spirit, saying, "Well, I didn't do it on purpose!"