Ramona

I've never forgotten this TV show. I was the same age as Ramona (I suppose I still am) when this was aired in the UK in about 1989. Me and my sister watched it together and I watched in wonder at the family unit and the strong relationship they all had with one another. We had a nice family but not like in Ramona's house. The parents played along with the kids' fantasies and ideas - in our house we'd probably have been told to stop being silly. The show was our first real insight as regards to American culture and it was fascinating to compare the differences between our schools in England and those in America; the students (I was jealous of how cool they were compared to me) the teachers (so kind and gentle, yet firm in a nice way) the way people talked to each other in general - no school uniforms for the American kids - why not? And the bell rings and they all get out of their seats. Although I'm sure in one episode the teacher stops them and reminds them the bell is for her, not them and then lets them leave anyway. In our school I'd have got the cane (if they still could) for being in such a rush to get out. We didn't even have a bell until high school anyway. Watching this as an adult, I forgot how young the kids really were. Adorable cat show/book report in episode three that just made me laugh along with the other kids in the class. Adorable show. Heartwarming comedy and an unforgettable little treasure.

I just re-watched a few episodes of this series on very poor VHS tapes that I recorded the series on. I'm glad I did, though.

Ramona is based on the children's books by Beverly Cleary and follows the adventures of the title eight-year-old (Sarah Polley). She has fun with friends and family and gets into trouble much like many eight-year-olds. All ten episodes are pretty good. "Mystery Meal" kind of grosses me out as a vegan, but it's funny seeing the parents trying to get their kids to eat cow's tongue! And any episode that mentions Godzilla Versus The Smog Monster twice can't be all bad. I like "Ramona's Bad Day" even more. Although it's disheartening to see Ramona going through a rough day, she does imagine herself getting revenge on her friend Howie's uncle (a pre-Psi Factor Barclay Hope), who always teases her. "The Perfect Day" is also good.

Lori Chodos plays Beezus, Ramona's sister. I swear I've seen her on something else, but IMDb doesn't list anything besides this show. Unfortunately, this series is not on DVD. Why is every crappy show made these days on DVD except something I'd actually like to buy? An injustice if there ever was one!

This was a show that ran on Canadian TV (back when Canada still made programs!) in the late '80s. It stayed true to the popular Ramona books of the same name, and if you've ever read the books you'll agree the casting choices are absolutely perfect. If you see this one at the library, check it out!

Ramona is one of the best shows of the 80s and one of my favorite Canadian tv shows of all time along with Goosebumps. If you enjoyed the books then you will enjoyed the show for sure. It is simple and that works so well. It is a almost perfect 10. The movie is pretty good too. But the show is better. If you are looking for something simple then Ramona is just perfect for you. I give it a 9 out of 10. Hopefully it gets released on dvd or streaming sometime soon. In the mean time you can find the episodes on vhs or on YouTube or fanmade release dvds. Give it a watch you will be glad that you did fun for the whole family both young and old.

I remember watching "Ramona" when it was on TV back in the late '80s. I was about Ramona's age when I first saw the show and immediately fell in love with it. It was so true to real life. Ramona faced many challenges that I faced when I was a child (having horrible days and thinking my parents would get divorced, getting sick at school --only not in front of my entire class--, etc...). Even today I still enjoy watching one of the videos I have from time to time, even though I am far past from being 8 years old. Still, this is a show and probably one of the very few shows that kids can really relate to. And seeing Sarah Polley as a little girl--wow! She was so adorable back then and is just as gorgeous now.