RAMONA’S LASTING APPEAL

Ramona is not always a perfect child, but her foibles make her an endearing character. She gets angry and frustrated, but she struggles to learn the self-control and patience her parents and teachers expect. Her desire for attention and her feelings of embarrassment and confusion cause many readers to identify with her; and her resilience, creativity, and pure love of life make her someone to be admired, even emulated. Some of the situations in which Ramona finds herself evoke sympathy, while others make us laugh out loud.

Ramona, a real child who seeks approval, would be pleased to know so many children like her for who she is and what she does. She would be gratified that her books provide for those grown-ups who are paying attention handy tips on how to be good parents and teachers. Knowing children and adults alike enjoy spending time with her in the uncommonly common world Beverly Cleary has created for them to share with her would undoubtedly bring Ramona the same deep satisfaction we derive from reading her books.

Beverly Cleary presents five years of Ramona’s life in eight delightful chapter books. In Beezus and Ramona, Beezus, who is just turning ten, finds four-year-old Ramona an exasperating little sister who invites her nursery school friends to an unplanned party, takes one bite out of each apple in the box, and spoils her birthday cake—twice. Ramona becomes the focus of Cleary’s next book, Ramona the Pest, in which Ramona goes to kindergarten. She is disappointed when they do not learn to read the first day and when the teacher cannot tell her how Mike Mulligan went to the bathroom when he was digging the basement of the town hall. Getting new red rain boots and being the “baddest witch in the world” for Halloween help, but Ramona becomes a temporary kindergarten dropout when she succumbs to temptation and pulls Susan’s enticingly springy curls.

First grade gets off to a bad start in Ramona the Brave when the class teases Ramona for exaggerating about the hole the men “chopped” in her house for the extension that will be her new room. This year she must adjust to her liberated mother working part-time, and, as it turns out, the fear of sleeping alone in her new room. Seemingly perfect Susan still annoys Ramona, and Mrs. Griggs does not seem to like her. However, learning to read excites Ramona, making her year in first grade worthwhile after all. In Ramona and Her Father, Ramona is starting second grade when Mr. Quimby loses his job. Ramona has more time with her father now, but she is worried because her unemployed father is often cross, her mother is anxious about money, and Beezus, who has reached a difficult age, is frequently disagreeable. Ramona is determined to save her father’s life by helping him quit smoking. When Mr. Quimby finds another job, Ramona’s family seems to be returning to the family she is used to.

Ramona and Her Mother begins on New Year’s Day with a celebration of Mr. Quimby’s new job. Mrs. Quimby continues to work, so Howie’s grandmother looks after Ramona, who is now in the second half of second grade. Ramona spends a lot of time longing to be her mother’s girl, as people say Beezus is, and wanting her mother to love her like a little rabbit. She practices twitching her nose frequently, but ultimately decides to run away from home. When her mother tells her she could not get along without her, Ramona’s hurt feelings dissolve, and she is content once again. Ramona starts third grade in Ramona Quimby, Age 8. This year she rides the bus across town to Cedarhurst Primary School. Anxious that her father find a job he likes, Ramona is happy he has returned to college and is studying to become an art teacher. She tries to uphold her responsibility to the family by being nice to Willa Jean while Howie’s grandmother watches them after school. The Quimbys continue to have their ups and downs, but they remain a nice family that sticks together, even on dreary, rainy days.

Ramona’s resolve to be helpful with Willa Jean crumbles in Ramona Forever when Ramona realizes that Howie’s grandmother, Mrs. Kemp, truly does not like her. The Quimbys decide Beezus and Ramona can stay by themselves after school.

Ramona initially dislikes Howie’s uncle Hobart when he returns to Portland, and she is dismayed when he and her aunt Beatrice announce marriage plans. At the wedding, she and Uncle Hobart make their peace, and Ramona warms to Mrs. Kemp when she compliments Ramona’s appearance and behavior. Ramona now has a new uncle, and the birth of the fifth Quimby, Roberta, expands Ramona’s happy family even more. In her new book, Ramona’s World, Beverly Clearly brings Ramona’s life full circle. Ramona is now an older sister, and she is the same age Beezus was in the first book, Beezus and Ramona. Beezus, who is in high school, continues to provide Ramona with glimpses of what lies ahead for her. Their father, although not an art teacher, has a job that supports his family and is once again good-natured and helpful. With a baby in the house, Ramona’s mother no longer works outside the home, which allows Ramona more of the cozy mother/daughter moments she cherishes. Secure in her own world, Ramona understands that her old rival Susan is an unhappy child who feels she is expected to be perfect and envies Ramona because she is not perfect and everyone likes her anyway. Ramona is older and wiser than she was six years ago, but she is certainly not sadder. She is a happy child eager to enter the tenth, or zero-teenth, year of her exciting life.

Ramona’s Personality

Ramona is the kind of girl who raises a great big noisy fuss with her family when she doesn’t get what she wants— a necessary action when she was the youngest person in the family and on the block. She is curious, finding life interesting and always wanting to discover what will happen next. She is often impatient and confused by misunderstandings. Things don’t always work as Ramona expects they will, but she is a lively, imaginative child with commendable problem-solving skills. Although she loves to be the center of attention, she doesn’t like others to be amused by her when she is being serious. However, she sometimes tries to be amusing to divert family tensions. Ramona frequently experiences disappointments, which makes growing up difficult, but she keeps trying.

Ramona’s Family

Beezus, Ramona’s older sister, is neat, studious, responsible, and above all, sensible. She is the opposite of Ramona in many ways. Although Beezus is frequently annoyed with Ramona (and vice versa), she takes care of her little sister, defending and supporting her when needed. Named after her favorite aunt, Beezus wants to be just like Aunt Beatrice when she grows up. As Beezus experiences the normal growing pains of adolescence, she becomes self-conscious about her appearance and disagreeable at times. Ramona is fascinated by the changes in Beezus. Their parents are generally understanding and help Beezus through her difficult years.

In the first books, Dorothy Quimby is a stay-at-home mom, but in Ramona the Brave, she takes a part-time job as a doctor’s receptionist. She no longer bakes cookies for after-school snacks, but she still manages to make costumes, buy shoes, and attend school meetings for her daughters. She is a sensible sort of mother with the type of natural appearance and fresh smell Ramona thinks all mothers should have. The Quimbys are not poor, but they do struggle to make ends meet at times, and Dorothy Quimby is adept at buying food on special and altering the girls’ clothing. When her third daughter is born, Dorothy joins a book club to keep her mind stimulated while she works at home raising her daughters.

Bob Quimby works in an office for a van-and-storage company in the first three books. In Ramona and Her Father, he is unemployed. He eventually takes a job as a grocery checker but dislikes it intensely. Because he enjoys art, he returns to college to get a teaching degree and become an art teacher. When he does not find a suitable teaching position, he takes a job as a grocery store manager and likes it well enough. A good-natured man who often jokes and sings, he is an understanding father who usually knows how to quell Ramona’s fears and insecurities. When Ramona asks him when they will be a happy family, he tells her they already are a happy family; a few quarrels and a little bickering are to be expected, even in a happy family like theirs.

Picky-picky

Picky-picky is the Quimby’s grouchy old cat. He enjoys melon rind and has even been known to eat raw pumpkin. He dislikes cheap cat food like Puss-puddy, but he will eat it if he has to. Picky-picky does not like Ramona because she was so noisy when she was little. Picky-picky’s rejection dismays Ramona, but as she grows older, he rewards her for being calmer by letting her pet him sometimes.

Aunt Beatrice

Aunt Beatrice, Dorothy Quimby’s younger sister, is an elementary school teacher who truly understands children. Pretty, young, and cheerful, she lives in a apartment house with an elevator until she marries Howie’s uncle, and drives a yellow convertible. The Quimbys love having her around, and they can count on her to save the day when things go wrong. Because Dorothy and Bea enjoy each other’s company so much as adults, Beezus is delightfully shocked to learn that they quarreled when they were children, just as Beezus and Ramona do now.