Book Review: Ramona and Her Father by Beverly Cleary

Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons!

  My elementary school years still remain some of my fondest memories. They shaped a great deal of the reader that I am now. And I still see my elementary school friends occasionally to reminisce and recall our crazy times as pre-adolescents. When I was a kid visiting my elementary school library I was grabbing up as many Beverly Cleary books as I could. Nowadays I use my favorite children's books to add some light reading to my otherwise heavy thriller and suspense reading. Plus it is always fun to read a story rife with innocence and laughter.

 

  Ramona and Her Father is the Newbery Award-Winning fourth book in the popular series by Beverly Cleary. Tracy Dockray also returns in this edition to illustrate some of the book's funnier moments with her fun and whimsical artwork. It is published by Harper Collins under their Harper Trophy imprint. Originally released in 1975, Cleary takes Ramona to second grade, giving our seven year old protagonist (or antagonist if you ask her sister, Beezus) a new set of troubles. When Mr. Quimby arrives home with the news that he has lost his job, the Quimby household must begin to cut back costs to survive on only Mrs. Quimby's income. Even the Quimby’s grumpy cat, Picky-Picky is grumpier having to eat discount Puss-puddy. But Beezus and Ramona have one question: If they need to cut back on costs, then how come Daddy gets to still buy cigarettes?

  But Mr. Quimby, a long-time smoker, disregards his daughters' worries about his health and the family finances. This sets the sisters into action to try to get their father to quit. Ramona makes signs and is very vocal in the fight to save her father’s life. No daddy of hers is going to have black lungs, she swears it! But her efforts go unheard. As Ramona sees her sister cross about doing a writing assignment; Mrs. Quimby tired from working over-time; and her cat refusing to eat (well, there was the pumpkin incident, but you have to read the book to find out), Ramona is growing sadder by the day. No one is happy. And she wants her family happy.

  Ramona and Her Father has won over a dozen awards and accolades for its realistic approach to the family dynamic. Even though this may be a children’s book; its pages are filled with the reality of unemployment, the effects of smoking on the human body, and the toll that cutting costs in a time of a shaky economy may have on a family of four. It is a sweet and heartfelt read that took me not only into the mind of a seven year old, but into the world of a family that will do everything they can to remain happy. Cleary’s delightful humor has Ramona getting into mischief, which offsets the book’s heavier moments. I loved Ramona’s homemade crown, noisy tin can stilts, and her encounter with the Three Wise Persons at her Christmas pageant. Beverly Cleary balances the good and bad moments in a child’s life expertly. And the result is a cherished book that has been a part of my life for nearly forty years. 

  I read this book in part with the hilarious narration of actress Stockard Channing (Grease). Her voice range is impressive; from a seven year old girl to a an elderly woman, she brings on the laughs. I cannot stress enough what an amazing fit she is for this series. I loved her work on the previous three Ramona books. She is a joy to listen to, and any children that listen to her narration will not be disappointed. 

  At the end off this book I was pleasantly surprised how this story is just a relevant today as it was forty-three years ago. Beverly Cleary tells us that even when things go wrong we have to believe in a better tomorrow. That fighting for what we know is right can often end in positive results. I gave Ramona and Her Father five out of five stars. 

 Have fun reading this week. Let me know in the comments below what you are reading.

 
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  Because there is always time to read,
   Xepherus3 



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