Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Format: Paperback, 192pp
Age Range: 8 to 10
ISBN: 0380709163
Beverly Cleary is one of my favorite authors (I named my son Henry Huggins, after her book of the same title). She is a fantastic author who always manages to capture the innocence of a child without making children seem too naive. In this particular book she tackles many tough topics: smoking, unemployment, and of course fear. Ramona is a well developed character with a personality that is both typical and atypical for a little girl. Love reading about her relationship with her family and especially her father.
Ramona loves her family and she just wants them all to be happy. Ramona begins this adventure by making her Christmas list, which is quickly altered when her father loses his job. Ramona struggles with the way her family reacts to their changing circumstances, she feels to blame for things that go wrong and worries desperately about her father's smoking habit. How will Ramona cope and help her family through this experience?
Reviews:
Children's Literature
Author Beverly Cleary's book is only one title in a series about a girl named Ramona. This book was first published in the seventies but is now a re-illustrated Harper Trophy edition. Ramona's adventures have been many, but in this book, Ramona tries to come to her father's aid when he loses his job. One day Ramona decides that maybe she can make a million dollars by making a TV commercial. She practices by dressing up and placing a crown on her hair. But her hair becomes entangled in the crown and her dad has to cut her hair. Ramona tells her dad she wants money for him, but dad tells her he would not trade her for a million dollars. That makes Ramona feel good. Ramona is also worrying about something else. Her dad smokes and she wants him to quit. She tapes a picture of a cigarette on the refrigerator and crosses it out with a big black X. Under it she prints in big letters BAD. She is definitely on a campaign to get her father to quiet smoking. One day, Ramona takes her father's cigarettes and throws them in the garbage. Mr. Quimby is not happy about this, but he tries not to smoke. Ramona's father has lots of time on his hands now that he is out of a job, and he and Ramona are spending more time together and not always getting along. But even when Ramona is acting like a brat, her father loves her. When Ramona becomes annoyed with her dad, she makes sure he knows she loves him. Beverly Cleary's books are always funny and insightful. Black-and-white illustrations are included.
Library Uses
I think this would be a great book to read sections aloud to students working on projects about marketing or persuasion. Ramona and Beezus both go to some extraordinary lengths to try to convince their father that smoking is bad, a great example for students on persuading.
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