The Art of Ramona Quimby

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

This is a great story with beautiful illustrations.I had a great time reading it

Quick confession -- I aged out of the Beverly Cleary books by 1970, so it has been a long time since I read them. Since Cleary was still writing into the 1990s, I missed the illustrators after Louis Darling, the original artist for Cleary's books.

The Art of Ramona zeroes in on the one character that seemed to take on a life of her own, Ramona Quimby. It examines how the five different artists approached the stories. Often, the same scenes were illustrated, so it's a chance to directly compare the artists' takes. Occasionally the artists come up with remarkably similar interpretations, but usually there are some intriguing differences. The book takes on the Ramona books individually and chronologically. It's a chance to remember the stories, or to catch up on the books you missed, all while focusing on the artwork as well as the antics of Ramona.

Along with lots of fabulous drawings to enjoy, there are essays by novelist Annie Barrows and Jacqueline Rogers, one of the artists, as well as some of the correspondence between Cleary and Louis Darling, the original illustrator. It's typical for the illustrator or cover artist and the book's author to never cross paths. Cleary and Darling only met once in twenty years of working on the same books, but they left several letters to each other, which are reproduced here.

I can imagine that Cleary fans will certainly love this large format book, but also those with an interest in graphic arts and illustration. This was a terrific way for an adult to enjoy kids' books once again!

(Look for this book to be published in September 2020. Thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for a digital review copy.)

I thoroughly enjoyed this charming book. I have been a fan of Beverly Cleary’s work since I was very, very young (many, many years ago), but since my own copies of her books are old, I’ve missed seeing the work of Cleary’s more recent illustrators. The format of the book, with quotes from the books and brief synopses of the scenes being pictured, was lots of fun to read. And it was also lots of fun to pore over the delightful pictures. Just a pure joy from cover to cover. I’d loved to see a similar volume devoted to Cleary’s other series.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC copy for my review.

AMAZING.

I grew up on Ramona, and read her stories to my girl. The stories are timeless, and I love how this book explains how the illustrations evolved over time from Henry and Beezus to Ramona's World. Absolutely LOVED this book. I plan on getting a copy for our library to do an exhibit on Ramona for back to school time (if we can reopen by then!).

I remember Ramona Quimby and her family from both my own childhood and those of my children.  Because of so many happy memories, I was thrilled to receive this book from the publisher and NetGalley in return for an honest review.


The author of this title gives ample attention to the difficulty of writing a book that will engage and appeal to young readers.  Of course, she notes Beverly Cleary's skill in this regard. The author also reminds readers that the illustrations of Ms. Cleary's books were not static but evolved over the decades.  For us, this may mean that some sections of the book evoke more nostalgia than others. 


Joyously readers will spend time not only with Ramona but also Beezus, Henry Higgins, Ribsy and more.  In addition to the many illustrations, there are excerpts from the books.  If this makes you smile, you will definitely delight in this volume.


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

As a lover of the "Ramona Quimby" series growing up, I admittedly jumped at the chance to read the book, "The Art of Ramona Quimby." which is to be released in September 2020. I knew nothing about this new book itself and it simply didn't matter. Ramona was life growing up and the magic found within those books still lives deep in my heart to this day! There is a strong connection between the artwork and this feeling of nostalgia. This new book by Anna Katz focuses on the artwork found within those books and how these stories and illustrations "transcend time."

I loved that the beginning of the book gives the background of not only the famous author, Beverly Cleary but also gives biographies for the illustrators. After the introduction, the format follows along with the series by providing snippets of commentary on particular sections and the corresponding illustrations. I really enjoyed seeing the different variations from multiple artists. It was interesting to learn about the subtle details and changes that each person made and how it had been influenced. The graphics enhance that emotional connection that readers have with the beloved characters like Ramona, Beezus and Henry Huggins.

An extra note to anyone interested in reading this book: do not miss the appendices! There are copies of correspondences between Beverley Cleary and the various illustrators who worked on her books. The magic and importance of the Ramona stories really shines through these letters. This was my absolute favorite part of the book!

Overall, I would recommend this book to artists or those who are avid fans of the "Ramona Quimby" Series.

The Ramona Quimby series were the first books I read while growing up. This book is full of nostalgia, it makes me wonder if I still have any of my books. The author did a great job giving tribute to the artists behind Ramona and Beverly Clearly for this amazing book series.

I cannot believe myself that I literally gulped down this book in a matter of minutes!

Because I was so excited to actually getting to read this collection!!!
I wasn't even aware that this book was coming out.
For someone who loves Ramona Quimby (both the series and the movie adaptation for life!), this book is like Christmas and all things beautiful and amazing!

The characters are alive all over again and I just love loving them.

Thank you so much for bringing out this special sixty-five years of Illustrations from the author's beloved books!

I am so ready to gift this special edition to any girl child I know because they will be able to relate with her so much as I did. The book series is amazing. The characters are dynamic. I love everything about this series.

I love the introduction, the preface. It's detailed and informative. It's interesting and fun to read.

Ah, then the original illustrations!
And the legendary, unforgettable dialogues! (Someone please calm me down... Too much of nostalgic moments at once alert!)

This book is just the breath of fresh air I never knew I needed.

It's so well written, so well illustrated, so well crafted! This is a collectable for sure. I cannot wait for the finished copy.

Thank you #NetGalley for this copy.

My son loved this! What a wonderful journey through Beverly Cleary’s lifecand work! The book is worth it for any Cleary fan, or any home library.

True confession. I grew up with the Beverly Cleary books. Even when I outgrew them, I still read them, I loved them so. Granted, Ramona and Her Father was a bit of a downer, but other than that, they were so much fun, and as Beverly Cleary said, when asked what year they were supposed to have taken place, her answer was "childhood".

And while going through this book which celebrates all things Ramona, I am struck by how many of the pictures I am familiar with, as the artists who drew the series changed with time. Louis Darling, in the earlier books, with the look of the 1950s, then Alan Tiegreen, which was more 1970s. Joanne Scribner was even later in the books life, and my life, as I outgrew, but still loved the books, and saw the Romana was in the 1980s now. And this book introduced even more recent illustrators, Tracy Dockray and Jacqueline Rogers.

This book celebrating all things Ramona, both in text and in illustration, is such a great way to see how she is the same, yet different, in each instance, how the illustrator has captured her look and feel.

Highly recommended to any and all lovers of Beverly Cleary and Romana

THanks to NetGalley for making this book available for an honest review.

I loved this book. The nostalgia of Ramona Quimby alone is fantastic. Katz uses the book to compare different eras of art within the Ramona books. This shows not only how different artists interpret the characters but also how the redefine the scenes in the books. For anyone who loved Ramona growing up this is a fantastic look at the illustrations.

You probably read Beverly Cleary's books, either yourself or to your kids. Her iconic characters like Henry Higgins and Ralph S. Motorcycle endure, but none more than the great Ramona Quimby (and her long-suffering older sister, Beezus). The Quimby family's adventures feel contemporary, no matter how old the book, and part of that is due to the several illustrators who have taken on the series. The Art of Ramona Quimby highlights their work, with a chapter for each Ramona book, often showing the same scene as depicted by different illustrators. You can see hairstyles and clothing evolve, and drawing styles change through the decades.

As someone who read all of the Ramona books many times as a kid (they're sitting on my living room bookshelf right now), it's fun to see which illustrations I remember, and which editions of the books I must have read.

This is a book for adults, although older children may enjoy looking at the Ramona illustrations and making their own comparisons. It will appeal to artists and anyone who loves children's literature.

Such an impressive book - loved it.

I really enjoyed seeing all the different styles of illustration and reading the accompanying text - particularly the excellent essay by Annie Barrows.

The only issue with reviewing books you love as much as this one is how to find space on my bookshelves when I buy my hard copy when it comes out in September.

Thanks to Netgalley, Chronicle Books and to Anna Katz for putting this masterpiece together.

I had expected this book to be a nice collection of the art of the Ramona Quimby books; a nice visual retrospective of books that I checked out repeatedly from the library when I was a child. What I did not expect, and was delighted to read, was a detailed trip through each of the Ramona books in turn, complete with excerpts from the books, commentary on the art, and comparisons of the ways that Ramona has been portrayed throughout the years. It allowed me to not only re-experience the books that I read and remembered, but experience them with new eyes through the updated versions of the illustrations, and see how each artist created different interpretations of each iconic scene. I highly recommend this for fans of Ramona, both young and old, as well as anyone interested in how children's books are written and illustrated.

Jam-packed with nostalgia, The Art of Ramona Quimby will take you right back to the fun, boisterous free-spirit who is Ramona Quimby through the different iterations of the pint-sized girl by the different artists throughout the years. It’s very impactful to see how Ramona’s looks changed from her beginning as a more linearly drawn girl— her body image transforms from stick-like with many lines, to modern-day Ramona with her softened silhouette, and denser three-dimensional shading.
With essays provided by the original five artists, get to know the inner workings of the artist’s minds as you read and view an impactful literary classic that’s story is still relevant many decades after publication. (I also find it interesting that the first two artist’s were male, while the last three were female. I always find it interesting to see how males depict females in both writing and drawings, and as Ramona Quimby is a little girl with a multitude of female readers, I find it even more impactful that the artist’s gave her a justified silhouette that matches her free-spirit.)

I received an ARC from the author and publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A wonderful look into one of my favorite book series from when I was a child. So beautiful!

Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for this chance.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a super fun read for me because i Was a huge Ramona fan back in the day. Includes descriptions of the illustrations and correspondence between the artists.
Great fun!

Oh my heart <3 I grew up with Ramona, Beezus, Yard Ape, and Picky-picky; as a precocious, obnoxious child, Ramona was so thoroughly relatable and real and lovable. When I moved to Portland in my 20s, I had a little internal freak-out when I discovered a co-worker lived on Klickitat Street - that was Ramona's street! So obviously when I saw this book offered on Netgalley, I HAD TO get my hands on it; it did NOT disappoint.

This was like a time machine trip through the nearly 60 years (!!!) of the Quimby family's adventures, told through the wonderful illustrations that a handful of artists have contributed to the books over the years, augmented with snippets from the books, insights into the stories and their long-lived impact, even images of correspondence between author Beverly Cleary and original illustrator Louis Darling. Seeing the same scenes from different illustrators laid out together was fantastic, and a reminder of the marvelous characters that Cleary created.

5 Stars (I received an e-arc from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review)

I LOVED THIS!!! Such a trip down childhood nostalgia lane, Ramona Quimby is the classic wild child tomboy. This book shares information about the four different illustrators that have contributed to the Ramona Quimby series with some background info on Beverly Cleary. Each chapter covers that art of each Ramona book, as well as cuts of text from that specific book. I enjoyed getting to re-read passages from some of my favourite books, realizing that I remembered a lot from specific books and recognized the illustrations from one of the illustrators. I definitely would like to purchase the book when it comes out in September.

Through no fault of this book, it wasn't for me. I mistakenly though it'd be more illustrations but it was more of a history of a children book and authors and illustrators I didn't grow up with and a character I felt no nostalgia for. And since I don't think I'll read or venture into this series soon, This book was just okay to me. But the effort and the execution of the book itself was wonderful.


I thank Netgalley and Chronicle Books for the digital arc.

The Ramona books mean a great deal to me. I can remember specifically visiting my grandparents during the summer and always having a new Ramona book waiting for me to read. Now that I know the books are much older, I wonder how my grandmother knew about them, especially when she only ever had boys. I'm extremely grateful to her anyhow, and it wasn't until I read this book that I really realised how often I actually think about them. Even just small things, like when I am writing the word 'library' or thinking about how to pronounce Chevrolet - it really is a pretty sounding word, perfect for a doll. But there are things I had forgotten about too, such as Ramona's kitty-cat Q or or her pajama-clad sheep's costume. And I never really realised how important the illustrations were to my experience reading the books, which is where this book comes in.

I always used to frown when books were re-printed with updated illustrations. The new pictures never had the same effect on me as the old ones did (or, as I've come to realise, how 'my' pictures did). And then this book on the Art of Ramona Quimby starts off by explaining how the different illustrators over the years would have the same affect on the new generation of children reading them. A child now will grow up with the images of Tracy Dockrey or Jacqueline Rogers, in comparison to my original second-hand copies of Louis Darling or Alan Tiegreen that my grandmother handed to me. To the new children, their connection will be to their own illustrator, and all the others will be familiar, if slightly out of sync, which is how I feel about the new images. And that's okay, because that's how the world turns and evolves, and the most important part is that the books are still being re-printed, no matter what pictures can be found inside or who drew them.

It is really interesting though to see the different iterations of the images and what details the illustrators have chosen to include. I would have assumed that the same pictures would just be redrawn, albeit in a new style personal to the new artist. But it is more complex than that. Perspectives have been changed, or remain parallel. Angles have changed, and sometimes other people are included when they weren't included in the earlier drawings. Sometimes there are new details, such as in the illustration of Picky-picky's grave - earlier drawings are very simple and focus on the headstone, whereas new ones also include shading to illustrate the freshly disturbed earth beneath it. And even though it is widely accepted (although never explicitly stated) that the series takes place beginning in the 70s, the clothing or hairstyles of the characters have been updated. One illustrator even includes a modern desktop computer in an image of Ramona visiting the school nurse, when clearly that would not have existed when the book was originally published. These little changes are what makes each of the illustrators special and unique. All of their illustrations are their own interpretation, and that's especially true with the emotions of the characters as well. In an earlier image, Ramona might have an angry or determined face; in a more recent image, she looks more forlorn or sorry for herself. It's so interesting to me to see all the different ways that one could interpret the scenes, and reminds me that my own image of how events have happened won't be the same as anyone else's - no one can see inside my mind.

If anything, this book has made me incredibly grateful to have read the Ramona books as a child, and I hope to pass on that love to my own children one day (even if they will have their 'own' images of what Ramona's story looks like). I love the comparison of all the images, and what changed from iteration to iteration. And it has made me value the work of all the different illustrators throughout the years. They clearly all have a deep love for these stories, and their work evidently shows that.

It was very fun to revisit the illustrations I am familiar with from my childhood as well as see what new iterations of Ramona have been created since. I wish there had been a bit more analysis of the influences on the artists, but I greatly enjoyed the forward. Makes me want to reread the Ramona books.

ARC: The Art of Ramona Quimby by Anna Katz is a must read for anyone who grew up reading the Ramona books. It was such a nostalgic book to read and look at! I did show this book to a girl I babysit since she just started to read and love the Ramona book series. She loved looking at all the pictures in the book and hearing the descriptions that were written. I highly suggest this book for not only children but for adults!

Katz examines the different illustrators for beloved author Beverly Cleary's books. My favorite was always Ramona. It was interesting to see how Ramona transformed under each illustrator's interpretation. I wasn't even aware there were subsequent Ramona books after 1982. I prefer the illustrations from the 1950s-1970s as they were of my childhood. It was fun to see the fashions also change according to the era. The one complaint I have with the book has nothing to do with the author or the coentent, but the format. It was clunky and difficult in my e-reader app, not my kindle. It was hard to turn pages and it would skip ahead or just churn and I was frustrated. A more user friendly file/for,at would have allowed me to enjoy the book more thoroughly.

What a delightful walk down memory lane! Beverly Clearly’s “Ramona” series books were the jump start to my love for reading! I was Introduced to Ramona the Pest by my third grade teacher who chose the book for me during our weekly trip to the school library. I was worse than a reluctant reader - I hated reading! But when Ramona came into my life, I was hooked.

The Art of Ramona Quimby introduces us to the illustrators of the series. I was most familiar with Louis Darling’s illustrations and, admittedly, as a child I never noticed when the artist changed. I enjoyed taking the journey back into Ramona’s world and reading the different ways each artist approached the series. The correspondence between Cleary and Darling included at the end of the book was an added bonus and a joy to read!

I enjoyed The Art of Ramona Quimby so much that I immediately purchased the 8 book Ramona Quimby series. Having never read the final book in the series, “Ramona’s World”, I’m looking forward to reading it when it arrives, nearly 50 years after my introduction to Ramona!

Many, many thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book! I am still all smiles!

A really neat compendium of the iconic art featured in Beverly Cleary's Ramona Quimby books. This book is extensive and features the artwork from the books over the decades from different artists. This would be a great gift for a Ramona lover or reference for a library.

Thank you NetGalley and Chronicle Books for providing this ARC.

I grew up on the Ramona and Beezus books. Reading this book and going thru the illustrations with my young adult son was like a blast from the past. It was very enjoyable reminiscing! I grew up with a particular illustrator while my son, who is 30 years younger, grew up with a different illustrator. It was fun browsing and reading the book and pointing out to each other what each remembers about Ramona, her friends and family, from the book! This is a wonderful collectible book for Ramona and Beezus fans. Very beautifully illustrated. A time capsule and treasure trove of illustrations and story lines for readers of any age.

This was such a nostalgia rush! It’s not until I read the excerpts and looked at all the illustrations that I realized that I had forgotten how much I loved the Ramona Quimby books as a young reader. I don’t think I would consider myself a reader (i.e. book lover) at that age so knowing that this series meant so much to me at that time, says a lot about the magic that is Beverly Cleary's Ramona.
Adding to that magic are the illustrations that, as proven by this book, are what help keep it timeless and relatable to readers of every generation. It’s so wonderful seeing and comparing how the looks and styles (both fashion and illustration) have changed over the years since Ramona made her first appearance in 1955.
This would be a good addition to any art lovers shelf, but it’s the perfect one for all Ramona fans.

My fascination with all things Ramona Quimby happened many, many years ago and I’ve been lucky enough to pass that on to my daughter. When I saw this book on NetGalley, I knew I had to jump at the chance to review. The covers brought back so many memories and I was able to show my daughter the differences between the ones I hoarded as a child and the ones she had. While reliving my childhood with this book, the memories came flooding back, especially my attempts to be like Ramona and trying to get my parents to quit smoking. Ramona and Her Father was my clear favorite, I went through more than 1 copy.
I mean, who wasn’t a fan of all things Ramona when they were young. She got to say and do things we couldn’t, with hilarious results. But the stories weren’t all sweetness and light. There were lessons to be learned in each one, the parent’s loss of a job, the dangers of smoking, loving others without liking them all the time, friendships, bullies, etc. These books are written so that generations can enjoy them, with topics that resonate through the ages.
Thank you so much for giving me all these memories I’d forgotten. Thank you for giving us one book with all the covers and allowing so many people to remember a better time in their lives. It’s also another fascinating book that we can pass on to future generations.
**I received an ARC of this story from the publisher and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

Ramona Forever: THE ART OF RAMONA QUIMBY

I have to admit I’m a fan of Beverly Cleary, and the Ramona books in particular. So much so that I named my firstborn after that irrepressible young character!

So, this is definitely the book for me. But it will also appeal to other fans and people interested in the history of children’s books illustration and design. Beautifully produced, the coffee table-sized book explores the series’ illustrators, ranging from the original Louis Darling in the late 1960’s to Jacqueline Rogers in 2013.

My favourite part was the Foreword by Annie Barrows, author of the Ivy and Bean series. In “Bad Author/Good Witch: What I Learned from Ramona the Pest“, Barrows describes how reading Chapter Six, “The Baddest Witch in the World”, changed her approach to writing.

She discusses her daughter’s identification with Ramona’s roller coaster emotions. This includes where Ramona realises her teacher, and perhaps even her own mother, can’t identify her amongst all the other kids dressed up as witches. In “withdrawing herself from the equation”, Cleary writes with “serious unselfishness” (p 8). This is the lesson Barrows took from reading the Ramona books, a lesson that changed her life as a writer.

The series changed my life as a reader. I remember reaching for Ramona Quimby, Age 8 at my school library when I was seven or eight. I loved realistic stories about people. Short books, that ended too quickly, were disappointing. So I went for the thick, hardcover book with Alan Tiegreen’s orange cover. It had lots of white space and line drawings and was very appealing overall.

And I never looked back. Now, more than thirty years later, these books are still favourites and I have loved sharing them with my daughter. For me, Ramona will truly live forever.

Speaking of which, the beloved author, Beverly Cleary, is still alive at the time of writing this, aged 104! Every year on her birthday, 12 April, American schools run the Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) initiative. It encourages 30 minutes of reading and was named after the Sustained Silent Reading technique used in Ramona’s classroom. SSR was always my favourite part of the day at school in rural Australia in the 1980’s. And, true to form, Ramona worked out how to use it to great effect, as an excuse to avoid talking to pesky little Willa Jean!