ACHUKA Book of the Day 3 Dec 2020
“The true pleasure of this retrospective is that it highlights key moments from the books, in chronological order, and compares the various illustrators’ ways of depicting them. We see the same sequence drawn in different eras (with different fashions and hairstyles); we see varying unscripted reactions on the characters’ faces, and a wide range of demeanors. We see situations from different angles and perspectives, with positive versus negative spins…” Jennifer Krauss NEW YORK TIMES
The Art of Ramona Quimby celebrates the artists behind Beverly Cleary’s inimitable Ramona Quimby series. The adventures of her iconic heroine have been brought to life by five different artists: Louis Darling, Alan Tiegreen, Joanne Scribner, Tracy Dockray, and Jacqueline Rogers.
Readers can compare multiple interpretations of iconic scenes (remember the infamous egg-cracking incident?), read letters between illustrators and Cleary, and learn the stories behind the illustrations.
The Art of Ramona Quimby explores the evolution of an iconic character, and how each artist has ultimately made her timeless. For fans of illustration and design, and for those who grew up alongside Ramona, this richly nostalgic volume reminds us why we fell in love with these books.
The most recent illustrator, Jacqueline Rogers, describes her style, in an afterword, as “sometimes scratchy,” with a variety of thick and thin lines, “loose and full of energy,” just like the incorrigible, irresistible Ramona.
Read this interview with the book’s compiler, Anna Katz.
