| Ramona and Her Father | |
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Cover of Ramona and Her Father |
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| Author(s) | Beverly Cleary |
| Cover artist | Tracy Dockray |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Ramona Quimby |
| Genre(s) | Novel |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Publication date | 1977 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 165 pp |
| ISBN | 0-380-70916-3 |
| OCLC Number | 28448197 |
| Preceded by | Ramona the Brave |
| Followed by | Ramona and Her Mother |
Ramona and Her Father is a 1977 juvenile novel written by Beverly Cleary. It is part of Cleary's Ramona Quimby series. The first edition of the book was illustrated by Alan Tiegreen. The current edition was illustrated by Tracy Dockray.
Contents |
Ramona is well into her second grade year at Glenwood School, and all is going well until one day her father comes home and announces he has lost his job. The Quimbys must now cope with the breadwinner searching for another job - filling out job applications and collecting unemployment insurance. Until then, Mrs. Quimby, who has been working part time at a hospital, secures full time work (for another doctor she has been working for in the past) to keep the family going, in essence becoming the breadwinner herself, but things are still very tight for the family. It is especially difficult to find a job because Ramona's father never went to college. Mr. Quimby goes into a depression and Mrs. Quimby informs her children that they must not do anything that would further upset their dad. Ramona is discontented and worried. Like many children her age, all she wants is to have a happy family.
Many of the chapters in the book are of Ramona trying to keep things together and getting into all sorts of hilarious scrapes. The Quimbys try to have a Halloween, only to have their cat Picky-picky eat the jack o'lantern. Other subplots deal with the family's temperamental car, Beezus and her hangups about creative writing, and Ramona's crafty attempts to get her father to kick his smoking habit (Ramona is worried his lungs are going to turn black).
In another chapter of the book, Ramona watches TV and has the idea that if she became one of the kids on television commercials, she could earn a million dollars and help pull her family out of their financial woes. She begins to imitate the children on television in hopes that someone important will notice her and put her on television. As usual, her attempts end up getting her into a big mess as she makes a tiara out of burrs on the playground and gets them stuck in her hair. She also unintentionally offends her teacher by telling her "her pantyhose bunch around her ankles like an elephant's skin." When Ramona goes home for the day, she expresses her worries of not having a happy family, her dad reassures her the Quimbys will always be together and strong, no matter what happens.
The final chapter finds Mr. Quimby finally getting a job as a supermarket cashier, and of Beezus and Ramona participating in their church's annual Christmas pageant with Beezus's friend Henry Huggins. Beezus is to be the Virgin Mary and Ramona has the idea for her and her friends Howie Kemp and Davy to be sheep in the pageant, but Ramona's costume is made of a pair of old pajamas because her mother had little time to sew (mainly due to her full time work schedule). After having her mother agree to make her costume, Ramona becomes angry with her father after overhearing her father say to her mother (referring to Ramona) "we dont want a spoiled brat on our hands." Nevertheless, the sheep steal the show.
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