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.
pagesofmilkandhoney's review against another edition
4.0
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.
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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.
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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