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Ramona the Pest
- By Beverly Cleary
- Genre: Family Life
Common Sense Media says
Ramona helps young kids build empathy.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that the sparkling writing style and humorous story line are both engaging and highly appealing. Art ranges from simple sketches to detailed line drawings and complements the text well.
What's the story?
Ramona has waited all her life for kindergarten, and the day is finally here! So, is this rambunctious five-year-old ready for all the rites of passage and life lessons that go along with it? This is a humorous and charming chapter in the ongoing saga of one of America's favorite little pests.
Is it any good?
Rarely has any author had such compassionate, yet droll, insight into young children. Beverly Cleary has a unique talent for getting inside her characters' heads -- there are few books as good for building empathy in young children as the Ramona series. Even when Ramona is at her worst, the reader always has humorous sympathy for her. The author is also expert at writing in a language that speaks to a kid's imagination, and illustrator Louis Darling provides charming line drawings.
Older kids enjoy looking back at their not-too-distant kindergarten years. Ramona helps children understand others -- and themselves. Even though the book is filled with pesky juvenile behavior, it's almost always curtailed and corrected by parents and teachers. And Ramona isn't all bad; one tender moment about sharing a red ribbon shows Ramona has more sides to her personality than just pest.
Explore, discuss, enjoy
Families can talk about misunderstandings. Do you understand Ramona's point of view? Have you ever felt like she does? Is she a pest?
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- Teens & kids
Teen, 13 years old
April 9, 2008
AGE
when you need a good laugh
all of the ramona books are usually funny and sometimes so ridiculous that you blink and reread the section you've just read to make sure you've read it right. they are the type of books that are perfect for when you really need a good laugh. and they have influenced me more than i care to admit. ramona has a strange obsession with pulling the curly hair of a classmate and shouting "boing!" i read the book when i was eight, and to this day, whenever i am talking to a friend of mine who has very curly hair, at some point in the conversation i reach out, tug a curl, and say boing.
she's resigned to it by now.
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Adult
April 9, 2008
AGE
Fun For 6 year olds
My daughter and I read together every morning before scool. She really prefers chapter books because they are more geared toward her reading level. We love the Ramona books! I have found that they are generally clean, with the exceptions being language like stupid, brat, and dumb. Ramona gets herself into really funny, relateable situations. I find that I rarely do any editing.
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Teen, 13 years old
October 5, 2010
AGE
A good book for any age
One thing about the Ramona books is that they appeal to all ages. It's funny to read what Ramona was thinking in the book, like when her kindergarten teacher told Ramona to "sit down for the present" but Ramona thought she meant an actual present. The only thing I didn't like about the book was how it seemed weird near the end, and some of the things that happen seem too normal and not very interesting. Ramona is naughty, but she isn't trying to be mischievous (for instance, when she kept pulling a girl's hair it was because she thought it was fun.)
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Kid, 10 years old
January 21, 2010
AGE
What other families should know:
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Parent of 5 year old
May 23, 2012
AGE
Refreshing story from a simpler time.
I loved reading this book to my 5 year old. It was refreshing to read about a simpler time. And my daughter really enjoyed reading something from the perspective of a five year old. There were many illuminating moments when I realized how condescending adults can be to young kids, for example when adults said things that I have heard myself saying in the past. It was a good lesson for me as well as a fun story for my daughter.
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Kid, 10 years old
September 14, 2012
AGE
Very good book
I read this in first or second grade and I loved it! It is very realistic, and I am SURE that you did some of the same things when you were in kindergarten. If you like this one, check out some other Ramona books, or heck, just about any book by Beverly Clearly. Ramona grows up, but she's still funny.
What other families should know:
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| Author: | Beverly Cleary |
| Illustrator: | Louis Darling |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Family Life |
| Publisher: | William Morrow |
| Publication date: | February 1, 1992 |
| Number of pages: | 192 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 4 - 7 |
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