Ramona Quimby is an ordinary little girl with normal parents and a well-behaved older sister. Although set in America, this family could easily be a typical British middle-class family where times are sometimes hard. My favourite book is Ramona the Pest when she anxiously starts nursery school alongside her neighbour, Howie. Her kind teacher, Miss Binney, tells her to, “sit there for the present,” so she patiently waits to be given the present. She is fascinated by her classmates corkscrew curls so she pulls them to see them ping which, rather harshly I thought, causes her to be suspended from school. Her vivid imagination makes her a joy to encounter but constantly gets her into trouble. As the series continues we see Ramona longing to grow up quickly, dealing with school bullies and trying to help her family when her father loses his job.
“Come on, Mama!” urged Ramona, “We don’t want to be late for school.”
“Don’t pester, Ramona. I’ll get you there in time.”
“I’m not pestering,” protested Ramona who never meant to pester. She was not a slow-poke grown-up. She was a girl who could not wait. Life was so interesting she had to find out what happens next.
Perhaps you watched Ramona on the TV programme which was pretty true to the books. I would be proud to have Ramona as a member of my family.
Lizanne lost in a good book 
Ramona! I’d forgotten about her. I adored her. She’s a great character. I remember feeling so sad for her when she cracked the egg on her head, thinking it was hardboiled and not safely cooked. Beverly Cleary really captured all of those feelings. I could SO relate. I think my granddaughter might like Ramona too. I’m going to see if I can find some books 🙂 Thanks so much for the reminder!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great post!
I loved Beverly Cleary books when I was a kid. I started with “Henry and Ribsy” and went on from there.
Then one day I found myself reading them to MY kid.
That is the sign of a true classic in children’s literature.
LikeLiked by 1 person