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dembury's review against another edition
5.0
This made me feel so nostalgic for Beverly Cleary's Ramona books! They were a constant in my childhood reading and my favorite out of all of Cleary's work. I loved learning about the different artists who illustrated Ramona's world and each of their styles that emphasized different aspects of a scene or character. There were so many little things I never noticed, and probably never would have, that were brought to light by Katz. I think if you're a Ramona lover then it would definitely be worth your while to spend some time with this book.
emmeyer's review against another edition
4.0
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.
kmarford's review against another edition
5.0
Who among us doesn’t love Romana Quimby? She was one of my favorite characters growing up. So reading an exploration of Romana Quimby’s art was especially delightful. It’s very nostalgic and something that kids and adults can still connect to.
I received this copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received this copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
heatherbermingham's review against another edition
5.0
I've been thinking about another tattoo and was thinking about maybe a Ramona image of some sort, but when I went to look at the books at my library, I realized all the interior art is different than what I remember. So I was scrolling the Internet when I came across this book by complete accident. I loved it so much! It goes through all the Ramona books, features excerpts and the different illustrations of those moments. My favorite pages are the ones that feature all the various artists illustrating the same moment but in slightly different ways. I don't love all the cover art/exterior design choices over the years but the four primary interior artists are all really good in their own way, each fitting their time. Beverly Cleary is probably more responsible for me being a reader than any other one writer so this book was just a huge shot of joy.
ljrinaldi's review against another edition
5.0
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.
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.
bookwoman37's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
5.0
I just loved this book. Each reader will enjoy seeing the Ramona they grew up reading. But I also loved reading about the other Ramonas. I really enjoyed the correspondence between Beverly Cleary and the various illustrators. This book will make a wonderful gift Enjoy
surlaroute's review against another edition
4.0
A little part of me wasn't sure whether to count this toward my reading challenge (ie log it at all), because a good half of the text here is excerpts from the Ramona books (another book earlier in the year - the collected work of Jim Morrison - I didn't log for similar reasons, 'cos I'd read a lot of it in its original form) but what original text is here is at turns insightful and fascinating and occasionally made me cry as much as those perfectly chosen excerpts (which in themselves form a perfect and much appreciated overview of the whole Ramona saga). Of course the main point of the book, though, isn't the text but the art, and it's just wonderful to have some of these illustrations (especially the Rogers ones, she's my fave) in such a superior quality to how they appear in my already worn paperbacks (I only got the full collection last year and read them for the first time). It's just a wonderful idea for a project, executed beautifully, and of course given the timing quite a perfect tribute to Beverly Cleary too.
bookbutterfly8's review against another edition
3.0
[3.5/5 stars]
The Ramona books were some of the first books that I read and loved, and they clearly have a place dear in my heart. I adored the Tracy Dockray illustrations growing up, so, when I saw this book, I thought it would be a great way to delve a little deeper into the past illustrations. This book gave me just that, with excerpts from the book as well as multiple versions of illustrations from various editions. Anna Katz has done a good job compiling them, as well as adding some context to each version. A few things to note: Katz often refers to each illustrator by their name, and it can be hard to keep track which illustrator has which drawing style. Additionally, some of the bits that Katz writes can be repetitive and unnecessary for anyone who has already read the book, which I am assuming is many of the target audience. That being said, this was a great book for fans of Ramona who would like to learn a little more about the context of various versions’ illustrations. Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for providing a free digital version of this book for review.
The Ramona books were some of the first books that I read and loved, and they clearly have a place dear in my heart. I adored the Tracy Dockray illustrations growing up, so, when I saw this book, I thought it would be a great way to delve a little deeper into the past illustrations. This book gave me just that, with excerpts from the book as well as multiple versions of illustrations from various editions. Anna Katz has done a good job compiling them, as well as adding some context to each version. A few things to note: Katz often refers to each illustrator by their name, and it can be hard to keep track which illustrator has which drawing style. Additionally, some of the bits that Katz writes can be repetitive and unnecessary for anyone who has already read the book, which I am assuming is many of the target audience. That being said, this was a great book for fans of Ramona who would like to learn a little more about the context of various versions’ illustrations. Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for providing a free digital version of this book for review.