Donzerly Light

July 05, 2011

While enjoying the holiday weekend, I heard "The Star Spangled Banner" several times. I was reminded of Beverly Cleary's character, Ramona, who misunderstood the lyrics of "...by the dawn's early light.." to be "...by the donzerly light.." For a long time, Ramona wondered silently what a "donzerly" was, and when she finally asked what a "donzerly" was, she was quite embarrassed by the answer. Beverly Cleary does such a good job of conveying the intensity of her embarrassment and other key moments in Ramona's very emotional childhood. 

If you haven't already, you and your children can get to know Ramona by reading her books this summer. They make excellent family read-alouds and may become more relevant to your children as they grow older and reflect on what you read together this summer. You'll see; there's a little Ramona in all of us. And after you've read Ramona, ask your librarian about the Clementine series by Sara Pennypacker and the Stink books by Megan McDonald. There is still time to sign up for the Summer Reading Program too, so come to your local MCPL branch and get signed up to win prizes for reading this summer! 

Jessie Alexander-East
Youth Services Manager