Ramona is the youngest of the Cleary cast of characters, and perhaps the most beloved, because she is such a live wire. All younger siblings should see a little bit of themselves in this book, and many of her experiences in kindergarten should be familiar to all.īeverly Cleary wrote many books around the characters of Beezus and Ramona, and Henry Huggins and his dog Ribsy, so there are many other books to read after this one. In the shadow of a know-it-all older sister, you sometimes just have to make a little more noise to be heard. Sound like any 5-year-olds you know? Ramona is a complex and unpredictable little girl, though deep down her motivations are simple: all she really wants is to not be seen as a baby, and to win her beloved teacher’s approval. The only trouble is that she can also be impetuous, careless, jealous, obstinate and self-centred. Every instance of bad behaviour has a good, though misguided, reason behind it, and Ramona is revealed to be good at heart, truthful and wildly creative. The world of kindergarten is brilliantly depicted from a five-year-old’s point of view. And on one very bad day an impulsive act compounded by her stubbornness leads to her becoming (temporarily) a kindergarten dropout. She doesn’t mean to be bad, but just can’t help herself sometimes. The first day of school, meeting her teacher, show and tell, seatwork, her first crush, playground games, a substitute teacher, rainy days and new boots, Hallowe’en… Ramona charges through every situation with her trademark noisy exuberance. In which the rambunctious Ramona Quimby starts kindergarten. Interests: kindergarten, school, siblingsĪlso by this author: Ramona and Her Father, The Mouse and the Motorcycle, Dear Mr. Age: 5 and up (good too for older, beginning readers)

Ramona the pest by beverly cleary