I'm sure that we all knew this one was coming; I don't know that you can actually parent a sharp-witted, free-spirited little girl in this world without someday feeling the need to crack open a copy of Ramona the Pest. Written by Beverly Cleary in the late 1960's, Ramona the Pest is the introductory title in a series about the irrepressible and slightly impossible Ramona Quimby. And, it might just as easily be written about my own daughter.
This fact is one of a few reasons why I initially approached this title with caution. As a mother of a fiercely independent little girl like mine, Ramona the Pest can read a bit like an instruction manual for naughtiness. I wasn't sure that exposing my girl to new ideas of this sort could be any kind of a good thing, and thought that this might be one book that we'd skip. I changed my mind, however, when I remembered my own love for this book at Mariam's age and how funny and exciting I thought it was then. And it is. It is hilarious and clever and a bit sweet too. Ramona has her moments, certainly; there are tantrums and mishaps and all kinds of ridiculous misunderstandings. But she is also a plucky little girl navigating a big world with bravery, honesty and a huge heart and I love this.
Yes, there are moments in the book that I read aloud and find myself wanting to immediately stop and say to Mariam "You know that you can never, ever do that, right?" But, I think that Mariam is clever enough to read between the lines, and so I keep the discipline-minded discourse to myself. There is probably great advantage in letting Mariam see a bit of herself in the character of Ramona and maybe learn just a bit from her mistakes. Not that my girl has elevated herself to the level of hair pulling or kicking walls, but I could absolutely see her deciding to drop out of kindergarten or convincing her classmates to draw their letters to look like animals.
The joy of Ramona is not the trouble that she gets in, it is in the way that Cleary writes about Ramona's thoughts, feelings and decisions so that the reader feels as though they can completely understand why she does the things that she does. Children are full of imagination, spontaneity and completely unique ideas and perceptions; Cleary captures these elements of childhood so very well and it makes this book a great joy to read. Even when our hearts ache a bit for our very naughty heroine who seems to be the only one in the book who understands why she acts the way she does.
I will note, for the record, that I do edit out all the bits about chasing classmates and trying to kiss them. That we do not need.
A bit of book-related business:
A couple of folks have asked if they can still sign up for the book exchange. I'm feeling a-okay about the idea and will happily continue to take sign-ups if people still want to get in on the swap. For those that have already signed up, I'll be getting exchange partner information out to you over the next few days. Thanks!
