Found myself wondering how long til Ramona gets medicated for ADHD if they were taking place today.

Anonymous wrote:Loved the books as a child. Loved reading them with my kids! I was so fascinated by Ramona’s spunk, creativity and penchant for getting into the trouble as I was very much a rule follower as a child (and still am - became a boring lawyer). I had similar fascination with
Laura in Little House on the Prairie.

But Almanzo's parents were insane. The kid has a hot potato explode in his eye and they're like "ok, go sit over there until you feel better enough to help us." He overturns his oxen and wagon in a snow bank and his father drives past him and leaves him there.

Back on topic, I loved all the Beverly Cleary books. My daughter read one of two of the Ramona books but never got into them. My son loved The Mouse and the Motorcycle though.

Loved these books when I was little and I was over the moon when my daughter loved them as much as I did. There will always be a special place in my heart for Ramona Geraldine Quimby.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wasn’t Ramona only 4 when she played at the playground outside the community center where Beezus took an art class? That struck me. Nobody could do that now.

We coddle our children so much

The difference between Ramona's Kindergarten, where she was working on writing her own name, and taking a nap, and playing outside, and her mom stopped walking her to school after showing her the way one time, and 2024 Kindergarten is startling.

+1. It is basically how my mom described her kindergarten in the mid-50s. She walked to school by herself, came home for lunch, etc. Of course her mother stayed home (and was very resentful of it, which is why my mom always worked). It was a different world altogether.

I happened to pick up the first Ramona book (where she is in kindergarten) to read to my kids just a few days ago, and my younger kid is in first grade so the kindergarten memories are fresh. Not sure my kids are picking up on the differences, but I sure am! I do walk them to school, and they also each had about 30 kids in their kindergarten classes, but they aren't going places by themselves and they don't have stay at home parents. On the less great "differences" side, the book is replete with outdated ideas like "only girls play with dolls or ribbons" and "only boys are interested in tools and naturally good at using them." In the scenes where Ramona chases Davy, onlookers talk about Davy being fast and going out for track, but not Ramona - because girls "didn't do sports" back then. Those differences are also quite striking to me, though again, not sure if my kids are noticing.

Anonymous wrote:Loved the books as a child. Loved reading them with my kids! I was so fascinated by Ramona’s spunk, creativity and penchant for getting into the trouble as I was very much a rule follower as a child (and still am - became a boring lawyer). I had similar fascination with
Laura in Little House on the Prairie.

Same! With Laura I imagined that I had been born in the wrong age and was meant to live during the times depicted in the books. As an adult I know that's not true! I love running water and heat and internet

I still read Fifteen, by Cleary

I love these books so much and am so glad they resonated with my daughter.

The scene where they go to dinner, and they have been fighting and are feeling discouraged and an older couple pays their bill because they are such a nice family brings me to tears even now typing this.

What would Ramona be like now? Golly. Ramona would be ~74! Assuming for the 1955 publication she was roughly born in 1950. A feisty grandmother, I bet. She would have turned 18 in 1968, so I bet Ramona would have some stories to tell.

I remember loving them in early elementary but none of the details! I should get copies to start reading to my 4yo when she has the patience for chapter books; thanks for the rec!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wasn’t Ramona only 4 when she played at the playground outside the community center where Beezus took an art class? That struck me. Nobody could do that now.

We coddle our children so much

The difference between Ramona's Kindergarten, where she was working on writing her own name, and taking a nap, and playing outside, and her mom stopped walking her to school after showing her the way one time, and 2024 Kindergarten is startling.

For real. We live two houses away from the bus stop and are required to pick our kindergartener up every day (even though she has an older sibling on the bus). Paranoid people like the PP who is concerned someone will kidnap and rape her child have ruined the country for our children.

And in contrast, I can remember my mother arguing with my brother's first grade teacher that his last name was too long to expect a little boy to be able to spell, and that expecting "Thomas" on every paper instead of "Tom" was also a little too much writing to expect of such a young child.

All of Beverly Cleary's books are wonderful. She wrote directly to the heart of children and her prose was wonderful. Even my intellectually disabled 8 year-old adored Henry and Ribsy and Ramona.

Loved the books as a child. Loved reading them with my kids! I was so fascinated by Ramona’s spunk, creativity and penchant for getting into the trouble as I was very much a rule follower as a child (and still am - became a boring lawyer). I had similar fascination with
Laura in Little House on the Prairie.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wasn’t Ramona only 4 when she played at the playground outside the community center where Beezus took an art class? That struck me. Nobody could do that now.

We coddle our children so much

We coddle our children because really bad things can happen and we aren't having as many children.

I'm not taking a risk with my kids being kidnapped, raped and murdered.

You are insane.

How am I insane?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wasn’t Ramona only 4 when she played at the playground outside the community center where Beezus took an art class? That struck me. Nobody could do that now.

We coddle our children so much

The difference between Ramona's Kindergarten, where she was working on writing her own name, and taking a nap, and playing outside, and her mom stopped walking her to school after showing her the way one time, and 2024 Kindergarten is startling.

For real. We live two houses away from the bus stop and are required to pick our kindergartener up every day (even though she has an older sibling on the bus). Paranoid people like the PP who is concerned someone will kidnap and rape her child have ruined the country for our children.

I am the pp. I am not paranoid. Do you not read the news? And no I am not ruining your children's childhood because my four year old isn't playing by herself in the playground. Why don't you fight the system if it is so important to you? Let others parent how we wish.

I agree, the books are absolutely wonderful. Brilliant writing. My daughter is 12 and still re-reads them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wasn’t Ramona only 4 when she played at the playground outside the community center where Beezus took an art class? That struck me. Nobody could do that now.

We coddle our children so much

The difference between Ramona's Kindergarten, where she was working on writing her own name, and taking a nap, and playing outside, and her mom stopped walking her to school after showing her the way one time, and 2024 Kindergarten is startling.

For real. We live two houses away from the bus stop and are required to pick our kindergartener up every day (even though she has an older sibling on the bus). Paranoid people like the PP who is concerned someone will kidnap and rape her child have ruined the country for our children.