When she was 6, her family moved to Portland, Oregon, where she went to grammar and high school. Mouse.īeverly Cleary was born Beverly Atlee Bunn in McMinnville, Oregon. Some of her best known and loved characters are Ramona Quimby and her sister Beatrice ('Beezus'), Henry Huggins, and Ralph S. Her characters are normal children facing challenges that many of us face growing up, and her stories are liberally laced with humour.

Beverly Cleary (ApMarch 25, 2021) was the author of over 30 books for young adults and children. The Three Musketeers (The d'Artagnan Romances #1).Beezus and Ramona (Ramona Quimby #1) by Beverly Cl.Ramona the Pest (Ramona Quimby #2) by Beverly Cleary.Ramona the Brave (Ramona Quimby #3) by Beverly Cleary.

Ramona and Her Father (Ramona Quimby #4) by Beverl.Ramona and Her Mother (Ramona Quimby #5) by Beverl.Clearly, Isabelle is able to identify with Ramona, and of course, being able to identify with the characters in a book always makes for good reading! Isabelle, who is in first grade now, likes this book because when her teacher read it aloud in class, she had the class 'crank back their minds' - complete with whirring sound effects and a hand gesture cranking their minds backwards - to think about what kindergarten was like for them. For me, I struggled with watching Isabelle struggle with her behavior - she was an angel in school, but a bear at home! This book - though fiction - highlights how difficult it is for young children to conform to expectations of behavior, and even though it's not a parenting book, it really helped me to better understand Isabelle and more easily forgive her less-than-ideal behavior. Since Isabelle is my older child, I really didn't know what to expect when she started kindergarten, and I spent a lot of time worrying and wondering about whether or not her behavior and skill level in various areas was 'normal'. Ramona the Pest was especially fun because in this book, Ramona is in kindergarten, and Isabelle just finished kindergarten.

I actually remember reading (or hearing) this book as a child - I think in first grade - because I have a distinct memory of the 'dawnzer' that 'gives a lee light'. Isabelle and I are going through the entire Ramona Quimby series!

Ramona the pest