Ramona and Her Father is the fourth book in the Ramona series. This wonderful, unforgettable series was written over five decades. The first book, Beezus and Ramona was published in 1955! The fourth book in the series was published in 1975! The last book in the series was published in 1999! Many changes occurred throughout the decades, yet, Ramona remains timeless and just-about-perfect. In Ramona and Her Father, Ramona is in second grade. (Have you noticed how almost all the books start in the late summer or early fall?!) Ramona's worries in this book mainly relate to her father. He loses his job, and, she's worried about him. She's worried for the family too, in a way, but, she's worried about him specifically. How he's coping, how he's handling it. (Not that she uses those words.) She's also worried about his physical health. She's worried that he's killing himself by smoking. And this fear is very real and very strong. She LOVES her Dad and sincerely cares for him. "Payday" The family learns that Mr. Quimby lost his job."Ramona and the Million Dollars" Ramona gets the idea that she can star in commercials and make a lot of money. It gets her into trouble!"The Night of the Jack-O'Lantern. The family carves a pumpkin only to have the cat ruin it all."Ramona to the Rescue" Ramona and Beezus team up to try to convince their dad to stop smoking."Beezus's Creative WRiting" Ramona accompanies Beezus on a homework assignment, and a new game is discovered. "The Sheep Suit" Christmas is a coming. Ramona wants to be a sheep. She volunteers her mom to make her a costume. (At least she didn't volunteer her mom to make all three costumes! So it could always be worse!) But will her mom have time to make the costume?! It doesn't look like it! Will Ramona get to be a sheep?"Ramona and the Three Wise Persons" Pageant night! Ramona may not be wearing a satisfactory costume, but, will she go on and participate anyway? Three older girls filling in for the wise men may help her out! The book which has had its serious moments ends on a joyful tone.
Ramona is possessed of all the mischief and silliness of Junie B. Jones without the disrespectful attitude and the obscene grammar. Skip Junie with the kids and reach back in time a little bit for Ramona. These are the kinds of stories that are beneficial for kids like my younger one who is working on recognizing when "funny/silly" crosses the line and becomes "rude/disrespectful/hurtful." The reader gets to witness Ramona thinking and and acting in age-typical ways in the context of relationships with her family/friends/teachers, and then experiencing the consequences of her behavior, which often run contrary to her expectations, and then we witness her positive growth and change as a result of her experiences. My observation of much of the newer children's fiction series inspired by Cleary's old classics is that, like Cleary's stories, the protagonist is silly and one with whom young readers empathize, but unlike the Cleary books, the reader never sees the protagonist reap the consequences of his/her often poor choices and grow as a person. This particular plot centers around Ramona's dad having been laid off and how Ramona processes and copes with that. It serves to elevate kids' consciousness about how family financial situations can change abruptly, and what effect that can have on all aspects of their lives. It sounds pretty somber, but there is so much fun and silliness and joy mixed in that it's not a sad story at all. The story ends with Ramona appreciating the joy and awe of Christmas, and experiencing gratitude for her blessings in recognition that the most valuable ones are immaterial. We'll probably be reading through the whole Ramona series, as the kids saw the list of additional titles and requested more.
What do You think about Ramona And Her Father (2000)?
Ramona and Her Father is a wonderful book for a child in elementary school when they are going through that awkward phase we all go through. It talks about real life struggles that could happen at any time without warning. It also addresses how these struggles might be perceived by and how they might make a young child feel. I think this book was very realistic and could help anyone through a trying time in their life. Not only was it relatable, but it was also humorous at times. The pictures that were included randomly throughout the chapters helped the reader to visualize important scenes from the story. They also help to encourage the reader to continue on if they are just starting to read longer chapter books. It can be discouraging to see page after page of just words, so I really liked that there were pictures. I believe it helped to make this book a transitional book for children. The cover of the book is very relevant to the story because it illustrates one of the main scenes from the book, which I viewed as a sort of bonding moment between Ramona and her father. The length of the chapters makes this a book a step up from shorter chapter books because it takes a significantly longer time to get from chapter to chapter. The book could easily be split up over a weeks time, reading one chapter per day. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to a child who is going through a hard time, or to a student who may not understand that some people struggle with different aspects of life.
—Georgia Karr
Despite what I hope is an anachronistic issue for most kids today--getting your father to quit smoking--another great Beverly Cleary Ramona book. The book is contemporary (or timeless) as far as another issue--the way kids are aware of family tensions, in this case caused by financial difficulties when Ramona's father loses his job. When Ramona seems upset about a ruined Halloween pumpkin, her parents miss what is really happening: 'Didn't grown-ups think children worried about anything but jack-o'-lanterns? Didn't they know children worried about grown-ups?' Highly recommended.
—Lars Guthrie
Arguably the best of the Ramona series, this installation follows 7-year-old Ramona Quimby into the first half of her year in 2nd grade and the family's trials and tribulations when their father loses his job and quits smoking. A touching and heartfelt account of love and challenge from the perspective of a precocious 7-year-old, Ramona speaks with a childlike wisdom born of love. Even if you don't buy or read all of the other Ramona books, this one is a must have for every child's library. It is an especially good read to share a chapter each night at bedtime and discuss the little lessons and adventures presented to our favorite little girl, Ramona Quimby.
—Amanda Nuchols
