“Beezus and Ramona” - Beverly Cleary

(Ramona book 1)

🍎 Like Peter Hatcher of Judy Blume’s Fudge series, Beezus is very much the put upon older sibling to a precocious preschooler. Beezus is a tightly wound people-pleaser while 4 year-old Ramona, is decidedly not.

🍎 We get to learn about Beezus in this one. I love how Cleary gets into her overthinker’s mind with the “brave bold strokes” scene in her art class. 

🍎 You really feel for poor Beezus coping with a rambunctious terror of a little sister. But it’s sweet how she comes around to the conclusion that occasionally disliking Ramona doesn’t make her a bad sister.

🍎 I read it together last year with my 2nd grader.