Just in time for this year’s Mother’s Day my kids and I finished up Beverly Cleary’s Ramona and her Father and have started in on Ramona and Her Mother. We’ve only finished chapter one of Ramona and Her Mother but we can’t wait to hear all of Ramona’s newest escapades.
Our house loves the Ramona series and there are so many lessons for both by five year old and six year old to take away and apply to their own lives, even though the eight-book series was written over a 44 year period from 1955 to 1999. There are stories of first crushes, parents out of work, big and little sister rivalry and camaraderie, and insights into the nature of fragile, yet devoted, family dynamics. And, of course Cleary’s stories bring me straight back to being a kid myself as she presents the pure point of view of Ramona as she struggles to feel heard and wants to believe others deem what she has to say is important, no matter whether its Miss Binney her Kindergarten teacher taking her seriously in the classroom or with her dad as Ramona tries to convince him to quit smoking.
And really, what’s changed about kids wanting to feel heard and that their opinions and contributions matter?
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