Ramona the Brave

Imaginative playtime is an important part of a child’s life as they use the adventurous experiences in their mind to learn more about themselves and how the world works. A hallmark of Beverly Cleary’s work is her ability to harness the capricious and whimsical spirit of childhood through her lively characters. Fueled by her creativity and exuberance for life, Ramona lives in constant anticipation of the next adventure and uses her imagination to enrich both her outer and inner life. Like most children, Ramona does not need prefabricated games to spark her imagination and instead prefers to invent elaborate worlds where she controls the rules. This world-building offers children a chance to explore their creativity without the restraints of the adult world. As summer drags on, Ramona and Howie design a game they call “Brick Factory,” whose premise is simple but allows for endless experimentation and invention as the children weave fanciful and extravagant stories to accompany their brick smashing. The game involves moving their physical body and using their brain, two important elements for healthy entertainment for children: “They were no longer six-year-olds. They were the strongest people in the world. They were giants” (47). Brick Factory not only keeps Ramona and Howie contentedly occupied but also makes them feel magical, taking them out of the real world and into the untamed world of their imaginations.

In addition to enjoying spirited, adventurous play in the external world, Ramona also maintains a rich inner life and carefully tends to a special place in her mind she has curated for her curious thoughts, a skill that helps her during some difficult times in first grade. Ramona remembers that in kindergarten, she was allowed to spend most of her day being creative. Yet, in her first few moments of first grade, she realizes she will have to spend far more time in the real world to meet the expectations of her teacher Mrs. Griggs. Children are not wired to sit at a desk for long periods, and when Mrs. Griggs teaches her lessons, Ramona finds her mind wandering and her fingers itching to move. As most teachers do, Mrs. Griggs mistakes her behavior as misconduct, but Ramona asserts that "she was bored, not napping” (79). Throughout the narrative, Ramona learns many lessons about growing up, and her first-grade experiences teach her that part of growing up is surrendering the freedom of carefree childhood playtime to conform to society’s demands. Ramona realizes that while she cannot use her body to run, jump, draw, and explore the outer world through play as she could in kindergarten, she can still use her mind to be creative: “She paid attention to number combinations in one part of her mind, while in that private place in the back of her mind, she thought about a paper slipper and how she could make one if she only had a stapler” (177). Learning to harness her clever inventiveness, Ramona finds ways to access her playful side while adhering to Mrs. Griggs’s classroom rules.

Back at home, Ramona is free to embrace her full childlike nature once again, and whether it be through the soothing act of coloring or weaving fantastical stories about a boneless gorilla slithering through the hole in the wall, Ramona remains a child fueled by the power of her imagination which she can use anytime she needs to escape the painful realities of growing up: “Ramona stepped back into her closet, slid the door shut, pressed an imaginary button, and when her imaginary elevator had made its imaginary descent, stepped out onto the real first floor and faced a real problem” (98). Through this unconventional character, Beverly Cleary exhibits the beauty and the power of a child’s flights of fancy, symbolizing the value of allowing children the physical and emotional space to daydream, invent, create, and construct.