Ramona the Pest

"Quite often somebody will say, 'What year to do you books take place?' and the only answer I can give is, in childhood."
-Beverly Cleary

I love getting lost in a book. It's one of the great joys of life, especially on a rainy or cold day, with a warm blanket, some tea, and a possibly surly cat to round out the experience. I can't remember a time in my without books. I was the kid who always sped through summer reading so the librarian would have to recommend other books to me. Good stuff. 

Beverly Cleary was an early favorite of mine. I loved Ramona Quimby and all her adventures and her rain boots and her big sister. Ramona Forever and Ramona the Pest were my favorites. She was so fearless and brave, even when she was scared and unsure of herself. I wanted to be like that when I was little. I want to be like that today. I had the opportunity to visit Grant Park, the Portland neighborhood where many of Cleary's books are set, when I went out to Oregon for a work trip a few years ago. I visited the Ramona statue and picked up a book called Walking with Ramona, a walking tour of Beverly Cleary's Portland. It's lovely. 

Cleary died earlier this week at the age of 104. She wrote books that were honest and fun, with characters we can identify with. Ramona wasn't a terrible kid; she was just a kid. She was experiencing childhood and the things we have to figure out when we grow up. Cleary's work had a huge impact on generations of children, but also on the way books are written for children and preteens. I don't know what I would have done without the worlds of Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume. 

Thank you Beverly Cleary for creating such wonderful characters. We're all a little bit Ramona, and sometimes Beezus. 

Details:
Stitches: back stitch
Thread palette: SS 704, DMC 817 (2 strands), DMC C666, 798 (3 strands)