Suitabook

Ramona and Her Father

Beverly Cleary

Reading: Read alongside a conversation about job loss, smoking and advertising. Reassure the reader that noticing family strain is different from having to fix it, then explore how the story presents these serious subjects.
Themes: Children responding to adult hardship: Ramona interprets her father’s worry after losing his job as a change in his ability to love her, and tries to make things better. The situation may invite discussion about how children understand adult stress, but the eventual emotional resolution is unclear.
Money, work and imagined solutions: Ramona decides that making a million dollars, inspired by a television jingle performer, might make her father fun again. The premise creates space to question whether money can solve emotional or family difficulties, without establishing the book’s final view.
Smoking and family influence: Ramona and Beezus campaign to stop their father smoking so much, while he does not seem to appreciate their effort. The episode may raise questions about how relatives try to influence one another, but it does not establish whether smoking is criticised, changed, or resolved.
Worth knowing: Pay attention to how the story balances Ramona’s earnest attempts with the adults’ reactions. It may help to distinguish caring about a family problem from being responsible for solving it.