Ramona the Brave

Ramona the Brave, published in 1975, is the third book in the Ramona series by Newberry Award-winner Beverly Cleary. The novel comes seven years after Ramona the Pest and depicts the journey into first grade through the eyes of a child, taking the reader into the problems and frustrations that come with growing up. Alan Tiegreen illustrated the novel, and his unique renderings of the Quimby family marked a shift from the earlier illustrations by Louis Darling.

Tiegreen’s artwork captures the frenetic energy and free-spiritedness of Ramona Quimby, with the novel’s cover featuring an iconic image of Ramona upside down on a swing with her scraggly hair flying in the wind. Tiegreen’s drawings also capture the essence of the 1970s, when family structures shifted and societal life became less rigid and formal. The illustrations feature characters wearing wide-legged jeans and ringer t-shirts, popular fashions of the era, and show Ramona’s parents looking tired and haggard, displaying a more realistic view of family life than previously seen in the 1960s.

Artist Tracy Dockray illustrated later editions of the novel, updating the images to reflect a modern sensibility. The beloved children’s classic has been translated into six languages, has received praise from many critics, including American book review magazine Kirkus Reviews, and has had over 97 published editions.