VBoulden Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Are these good books? Why? Do you think they are bad? If so, why? Thanks. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I thought they were good: the writing was solid and the characters lively and credible. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I thought they were good: the writing was solid and the characters lively and credible. Laura :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caitilin Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I like these books; I believe that they deal with "real" issues, such as sibling rivalry, difficulty being taken seriously by adults, etc., in a way that I find is appropriate. Ramona is not a perfect girl; she is impulsive, fiery, stubborn, but also loving, loyal, self-confident. Many of the stories' scenarios deal with school situations that do not (generally) apply to hsers, but the lessons Ramona learns in them apply all over the place. I like 'em, and listened to them with my dc in the car. Everyone enjoyed them.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jen3kids Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Love them. My kids loved them too. We read the Ramona Series, Henry Huggins series, Mouse & the Motorcycle..... Interesting, well written, good topics, good characters. My favourite one is Socks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I think they're delightful. :) I put off having my kids reading for a little while because there is some very honestly and humorously represented sibling rivalry/tension and I didn't want to introduce the idea that that was normal when my kids were young and hadn't yet experienced that for themselves. But by the time they were each K/1st grade age, they had a pretty good idea what sibling rivalry looked like on their own. ;) The books are lovely. Ramona is smart and creative and has very good intentions -- sometimes things just don't work out, or her childish understanding of things leads to minor conflicts. Her parents are portrayed lovingly and honestly -- they're devoted parents who deal with their own challenges (economic, career, family) -- but there's never any question that they love each other and their children and want the best for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyto4 Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 My boys have listened to most of them on audiobooks and love them! The characters and stories are great. The families in the book are real, yet so very loving. Our favorites are any of the Henry Huggins ones, but we also loved the Ramona books too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalknot Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Another like! My 11 year old nephew is even reading them aloud to my 5 year old daughter. His choice, he's happy to revisit the books (I read them to him when he was younger). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Love them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I love all the Beverly Cleary books. They were some of my favorites when I was a child so I made sure my son got a good dose of Henry Huggins and that my daughter spent some time with Beezus and Ramona.:001_smile: Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I began reading them to my 7 year old when she was 6, but I stopped. There was too much name calling for my taste. My children have never called each other a name and I believe it's because we don't allow them to listen to books or watch TV shows where name calling is prevalent. If they hear TV or book characters calling names and hear it as commonplace, then they will think it's okay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JessieC Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I love them! They are well-written, keep children and adults' interest, and are realistic. As a child I understood a lot of what Ramona was going through. I think Beverly Cleary has a gift for remembering how children think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmrich Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 FAVORITE from childhood! I was Ramona. I love her. I still love these books, and I think Beverly Clearly does an excellent job tapping into how a child feels. Yes, there is childish behavior, but it is about a child. GUTS, GUTS, GUTS!! Boing, boing curls. Blue oatmeal... Baby Chevrolet Roller Skates The girl who copies your artwork... I could go on and on (I think I already did) Seriously, these books were so important to me as a child; I considered them as close friends. Stockard Chaning does an amazing job with the audio books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2_girls_mommy Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 My sister and I loved these, and I was so glad when my dd was a good enough reader for them! She loved them too. And then we all loved the movie after she finished them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robsiew Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 I loved Ramona growing up. I think they are great books. I'm sad my dd just doesn't really like them. I'm not sure why... we've read Henry Huggins though and the kids liked that a lot. I may get another on audio and see if I can whet my dd's appetite again... ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southcarolinamom Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 My children read all the Henry Huggins and Ramona books. My son will unashamedly tell you that he preferred the Ramona books over the Henry Huggins books, hands down. The audio tapes of the Ramona series is done by Stockard Channing. Great voice! We have fond memories of listening to all those chapter books on our way to and from soccer practices, the library, grocery store, etc. when my dd and ds were little. I even remember parking in our driveway and sitting in the car a few extra minutes, so my kids could "hear" how a chapter ended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 My boys have listened to most of them on audiobooks and love them! The characters and stories are great. The families in the book are real, yet so very loving. Our favorites are any of the Henry Huggins ones, but we also loved the Ramona books too. Ditto. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoObvious Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Another LOVE here, and I consider myself to be pretty picky about books for my 9 yr old girls. I always hated Junie B. and I'm still steering clear of books that involve boy-girl relationships. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Huge LOVE here! They were absolute favorites of mine as a child, and I was so excited to introduce the girls to Ramona. They adore the books, especially Sylvia, who really appears to relate to Ramona. Sylvia has read all the Ramona books 4 times through. :001_huh: The girls have also been exposed to bunches of other Beverly Cleary books, either through reading, read alouds, or audio books. And I'm very picky about what the girls read too. We never did Junie B. Jones. I noticed no "overflow" of any objectionable behavior from them reading any Cleary books. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiegirl Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Ramona was a warm fuzzy from my own childhood and it was important to me to share it with my children. All of my children adore Ramona. My ds likes Ramona better than Henry Huggins, too. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chepyl Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 I lived these books as a kid! I cannot look at my 3 year olds ringlets without thinking of Among! I have been known to gently pull a curl and say "boing!" We just checked out The Mouse and the Motorcycle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 I have fond memories of reading them when I was a kid. I remember her squeezing her toothpaste into the sink, wearing flannel pajamas under her clothes to school, and trying to get her father to stop smoking. I haven't reread them but plan to read them out loud to my kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 We love Ramona here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverick_Mom Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 I loved the original ones -- Beezus and Ramona and Ramona the Pest. Ramona (and Beezus) also appeared in the Henry Huggins books. They were favorites from my childhood, and my kids loved them, too. Didn't care so much for the newer ones (I think they were written in the 70s or 80s, whereas the first two were from the 50s or 60s). Too many contemporary issues that departed from the simple innocence of the first two. (I wonder why Beverly Cleary never "updated" Henry Huggins as she did Ramona?) But still, compared to a lot of what's out there, the newer ones are pretty good. And I could not bring myself to see the recent movie about Beezus and Ramona. ;) I just couldn't bear to see what they'd done to two of my favorite literary characters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Not "classic literature", but "classic fun" ! Wonderful books for younger children (~ age 7-9, making a guess) Right up my personal alley, as I was born in 1955. These books are fresh air to breathe deeply, compared with the utter tripe, or downright rotten volumes (personal viewpoint) filling bookstore shelves today. Don't skip them! OK, there is some mild name-calling. Find me a living child who does not shell out a name-calling or two when faced with an annoying situation or person ! The recent film was disappointing, because it attempted to update the characters and storylines. It annoys me that publishers and producers believe that children are incapable of understanding and enjoying children and events from an earlier time period. (Even historical fiction often back-projects modern attitudes onto the characters, with strange results.) . . . Nonetheless, an ok film. If your dc enjoy Cleary's books, you might try them with one of the Clementine books. (I forget the author.) There are three, I think. Fun in a similar vein. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverick_Mom Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 It annoys me that publishers and producers believe that children are incapable of understanding and enjoying children and events from an earlier time period. This bothers me, too. It's what's behind the "updating" of the Little House books, and IMHO it's completely unnecessary (not to mention the fact that it damages the historical integrity of the stories). (Even historical fiction often back-projects modern attitudes onto the characters, with strange results.) . . . This is my beef with the American Girl books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VBoulden Posted August 1, 2011 Author Share Posted August 1, 2011 Great. Thanks for the opinions everybody. Sounds like these books are pretty beloved. My daughter's feisty like you all described Ramona. She often means well but finds herself in trouble with the adults in her life anyway (including her dad and I). It sounds like she and Ramona may become the best of friends and the books may really minister to her little soul. Thanks again everybody. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizaG Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 I began reading them to my 7 year old when she was 6, but I stopped. There was too much name calling for my taste. :iagree: I had good memories of these books from childhood, but decided not to keep them around the house because they didn't seem to be a great influence on our little folks. Not just the name-calling, but some of the attitudes the characters show towards adults, younger children, etc. If an older child (say, age 9) wanted to borrow the books from the library, I'd be okay with that, but would take the opportunity to discuss these issues. BTW, Beverly Cleary was a librarian, and she started writing her books for middle school boys who didn't like reading. She thought the characters in traditional children's classics were too well-behaved to be believable. I guess Henry Huggins was the Captain Underpants of his day. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewellsmommy Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 I adored them as a child. I started reading them to my dd when she was 5. She loves them too. The only one I have not read is the newest one where she is a preteen (Ramona's World, I think?). I don't know any thing about that one. We have read: Ramona and Beezus Ramona the Brave Ramona the Pest Ramona and her Father Ramona and her Mother Ramona age 8 Ramona Forever Happy reading! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imprimis Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 I think they're adorable. Ramona is a great character. I credit them with helping my 7 yo kickstart her independent reading last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susankenny Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Love these books! However, I find they are similar to Junie B. honestly (not as poorly written though. We like Junie B here too). Especially Ramona the Pest. It's hilarious, but she is sassy, boy crazy, and a ball of fire. Just thought that was worth mentioning. Susan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenniferLynn Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 I also enjoyed these as a child (though not as much as Little House). I read them independently so probably 1st/2nd grade. I'm an only child so the sibling situations were interesting but didn't really affect my behavior. I had to stop Ramona & Beezus as a read aloud for my oldest (going on 5). The sibling situations were more of an invitation to start behaving like that and otherwise she was not very interested. We'll try again when everyone is older. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawna in Texas Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 I lived these books as a kid! I cannot look at my 3 year olds ringlets without thinking of Among! I have been known to gently pull a curl and say "boing!" Yes! I'm always boing-ing my dd's hair. Every time I buy a new tube of toothpaste, I'm always tempted to squeeze it all in the sink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketgirl Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Ramona, why not? Plus once mine got hooked on her there were lots of others to read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 BTW, Beverly Cleary was a librarian, and she started writing her books for middle school boys who didn't like reading. She thought the characters in traditional children's classics were too well-behaved to be believable. I guess Henry Huggins was the Captain Underpants of his day. ;)She wrote largely from her own experience and observation, and her characters seem authentic in a way that most other contemporary works (especially in terms of setting) did not. Here's a recent NYT article, The Ageless Appeal of Beverly Cleary. Excerpt: How does Cleary explain her popularity? “I wrote books to entertain,†she told me. People often asked what she was trying to teach in her books. She would reply, “I’m not trying to teach anything!†This was the same attitude she had when she was first reading. “If I suspected the author was trying to show me how to be a better behaved girl, I shut the book,†she remembered. Certainly, didacticism was common in children’s literature at the time, which was dominated by “Dick and Janeâ€-style readers, adventure and fantasy stories by the likes of E. Nesbit, animal fables and fairy tales. There was popular realistic fiction by Carolyn Haywood, Eleanor Estes, Maud Hart Lovelace and others, but little was set in the decidedly contemporary America Cleary evoked so well. When she set out to write, her mother, a frustrated writer, told her to keep it simple. Cleary also kept in mind her writing professor’s advice: the proper subject of the novel is universal human experience grounded in the minutiae of ordinary life. Here's a recent Atlantic interview on the occasion of her 95th birthday. There's a link at the bottom leading to a second article with pictures of her various homes in Oregon. [We live about a 20 minutes' walk from NE 28th and Klickitat, which Ramona "lived near."] And another recent interview from the LAT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Yes! I'm always boing-ing my dd's hair. Every time I buy a new tube of toothpaste, I'm always tempted to squeeze it all in the sink. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Love these books! However, I find they are similar to Junie B. honestly (not as poorly written though. We like Junie B here too). Especially Ramona the Pest. It's hilarious, but she is sassy, boy crazy, and a ball of fire. Just thought that was worth mentioning. Susan Boy crazy? :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 The Ramona series was my favorite from childhood. I made sure that my kids read these as soon as they were able to, and they love them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverick_Mom Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Boy crazy? :confused: Well, she was crazy about one boy, anyway -- Davy. The one she was determined to kiss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwg Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 *Stamping my foot* she is not like Junie B jones. :lol: :001_huh: :glare: :lol: jmnsho :tongue_smilie: We love Ramona here also. Ds preferred her over Henry Huggins as did I growing up. Ds did a short author study on her and really enjoyed watching this video as part of it. Beverly CLeary talks about why she thinks people like Ramona so much. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7034640420729211850 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnL Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 We love them here, too. I've been reading them aloud during lunch during the school year. We've read them a little this summer, too, but we probably won't read every day at lunch again until the fall. I like that each chapter is almost like like it's own short story. The chapters are broken up in sizes that are just perfect for reading during lunch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 (edited) My son had great success with all the Henry books which I carefully pre-read for content and was pleasantly surprised. So when my dd began reading well, I grabbed a bunch if Ramona books hoping for the same experience. Trusting the author, I did not pre-read them. Unfortunately my dd brought me issue after issue of ways in which these books do not line up with our standards. In our home, our children never tease, they never call names, they have been trained and taught with extreme diligence HOW to love one another and therefore...they do. They are not perfect of course...but the constant little spits, spats, complaining, teasing, fighting, rudeness, and such was not interesting to my dd. It only annoyed her. Additionally, we were not interested in the book which focuses on a crush she has. So I don't think they belong in the trash...but they just didn't line up with our standards of carefully chosen children's fiction. (by the way, I was willing to overlook the issues and discuss them, but my dd was so annoyed by the "bratty" behavior she tried 3 of the books and then gave up.) Betsy Tacey is another great idea, the first four books that is. The last dew are written by a different author. Edited August 1, 2011 by Calming Tea Spelling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 *Stamping my foot* she is not like Junie B jones. :lol: :001_huh: :glare: :lol: jmnsho :tongue_smilie: :iagree: :tongue_smilie: Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Down_the_Rabbit_Hole Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Add us to the like group. I never read these as a child . Had never heard of them until I had my own children and we listened to Romona the Pest in the car. Everyone loved it. My dd is devouring the Romona and Henry books. She recently told me she was so glad she learned to read because if she didn't she would not have the Ramona books. As for comparing Ramona to Junie B Jones...not even close. We read one of these books and both dd and I felt she was just a self centered spoiled brat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 I began reading them to my 7 year old when she was 6, but I stopped. There was too much name calling for my taste. My children have never called each other a name and I believe it's because we don't allow them to listen to books or watch TV shows where name calling is prevalent. If they hear TV or book characters calling names and hear it as commonplace, then they will think it's okay. Family culture is the most important determinant. My boys both read Beverly Cleary and they never call each other names. We don't do that in our family, so they don't do it. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagira Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Well, she was crazy about one boy, anyway -- Davy. The one she was determined to kiss. I remember being crazy about a boy when I was four. I jumped on the bed and told my mom I was going to move in with him :lol: Thanks for reminding me about these books. I will check out the Henry Huggins books again for ds, and a Ramona book. He read Beezus and Ramona when he was six. I'm planning on steering clear of Junie B.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susankenny Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 *Stamping my foot* she is not like Junie B jones. :lol: :001_huh: :glare: :lol: jmnsho :tongue_smilie: LOL. Sorry to offend, but I still believe it's true. We've read all of Junie B and all of Ramona, and I've always thought the author of Junie B ripped off Beverly Cleary. Ramona & Junie B have so many personality traits & similar behaviors, especially in kindergarten. Seriously, Ramona's 1/2 day kindergarten adventure could have easily been a Junie B book. I'm surprised honestly that you disagree. She was a firecracker filled with nonsense and mayhem (boy chasing, hair pulling, hiding outside from the substitute behind the trashcans, boots stuck in the mud, making the two wheeler bicycle, etc). Loved it! Anyway, someone posted earlier that Beverly Cleary updated these books. Perhaps I'm reading the new versions and you are reading the original, that's only thing I can think of. Susan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverick_Mom Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Anyway, someone posted earlier that Beverly Cleary updated these books. Perhaps I'm reading the new versions and you are reading the original, that's only thing I can think of. Susan I think I'm the poster you mean. When I said that she updated them, I didn't mean that she re-wrote the originals (at least, I'm not aware that she ever did). I meant that there was a gap between the first two books and the rest in the series. Ramona in kindergarten was set in the 50s or 60s; Ramona in first grade was in the 70s or 80s (I'll have to look up the specific years). The later books show a definite cultural shift, and Ramona deals with things that simply weren't touched on in Cleary's earlier books -- working moms, the emotions associated with a new baby, a parent losing a job, financial stresses, etc. Sorry if I wasn't clear before. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susankenny Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 I think I'm the poster you mean. When I said that she updated them, I didn't mean that she re-wrote the originals (at least, I'm not aware that she ever did). I meant that there was a gap between the first two books and the rest in the series. Ramona in kindergarten was set in the 50s or 60s; Ramona in first grade was in the 70s or 80s (I'll have to look up the specific years). The later books show a definite cultural shift, and Ramona deals with things that simply weren't touched on in Cleary's earlier books -- working moms, the emotions associated with a new baby, a parent losing a job, financial stresses, etc. Sorry if I wasn't clear before. :) That's okay. I just misunderstood you. I certainly wasn't trying to drag you into the Ramona vs. Junie B debate:tongue_smilie: I don't really care. We love them both. Susan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverick_Mom Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Ramona in kindergarten was set in the 50s or 60s; Ramona in first grade was in the 70s or 80s (I'll have to look up the specific years). Well, this is interesting. The first book to feature Ramona as a main character, Beezus and Ramona, was published in 1955. The second, Ramona the Pest, which is set when she is in kindergarten was *1968* -- this surprised me, because it still has that 50s flair to it. The next books, set when Ramona is in first through third grades, were published between 1975 and 1984. The world had changed a lot in the 31 years between 1955 and 1984, and I think Cleary incorporated some of those changes into the Ramona books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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