Free Ramona's World by Beverly Cleary Page B

flat. She resisted stomping in puddles.
    Mrs. Pitt, busy picking up advertising circulars from her porch, said, “My, don’t you look nice this morning?” Ramona smiled modestly. This was the sort of grown-up question that did not demand an answer.
    â€œWhat are you all dressed up for?” asked Howie, who was eating his sandwich in the middle of the sidewalk.
    â€œMy picture,” said Ramona.
    â€œBig deal,” said Howie.
    â€œAre you drethed up for a party?” asked a little girl Ramona could tell was in the second grade because she had lost her two front teeth.
    When Ramona reached her classroom, Mrs. Meacham, whose hair was freshly curled, smiled and said, “You look very nice today, Ramona.”
    â€œI know,” answered Ramona modestly. She felt a shoulder seam in her blouse split.
    â€œYou’re all dressed up like you think you’re somebody,” said Susan.
    â€œI am somebody,” said Ramona with a toss of her head. She managed to stay neat until just before spelling time, when the school secretary opened the door and beckoned to Mrs. Meacham, who said, “All right, boys and girls. Picture time. Line up and walk quietly to the library, where we will all wait quietly for our turn. And remember to smile. At our school learning is fun. Let’s show our parents by smiling.”
    Ramona was glad to escape working on,, andwords for a little while.
    In the library a screen had been set up. On it was a picture of nothing in particular—clouds maybe, or shadows. The photographer was a young man with a lock of hair sticking straight up from the back of his head. “Hi, kids,” he said. “My name is Bill.” He pointed to a box of paper combs. “Make yourselves pretty.” Some children took combs; others smoothed their hair with their hands. Bill motioned to the first girl in line, who as usual was Susan. Being first was important to Susan. He positioned her in front of the camera and said, “Say cheese,” just as Beezus had predicted.
    Susan said cheese. The camera clicked.
    â€œNext!” said Bill as Susan stepped aside. A boy took her place. “Say cheese,” ordered Bill. This went on over and over until it was Yard Ape’s turn. He stood up straight, grinned, and after saying cheese did not step aside. “How come you always tell us to say cheese?” he asked. “Don’t you get tired of it?”
    â€œAs a matter of fact I do, now that you mention it,” answered Bill. “Next!”
    It was Ramona’s turn to step in front of the screen for “cheese.”

    Bill surprised her. “Say peas,” he said.
    Instantly Ramona thought of Roberta’s spitting gooshy, smelly peas in her face. Ee-yew. Without thinking she scowled, wrinkled her nose as if smelling something bad, and pulled down the corners of her mouth. The camera clicked, the class laughed, and Bill said, “Next!” Ramona hesitated. “Move along,” ordered Bill. “I have a gazillion kids waiting.” Ramona moved. She began to feel as if the neck of her blouse was choking her, so she unbuttoned the top button. She wondered what her family would say when they saw her picture.
    Gradually, as the day went on and the class became engrossed in the study of pioneers crossing the plains in their covered wagons, Ramona began to feel that perhaps her picture was not as bad as she thought it was. Maybe Bill had snapped her picture a millionth of a second before she made a face. Of course. That was what had happened. Of course it was. Ramona spent the rest of the day feeling cute and perky even if her clothes were too tight.

9
RAMONA SITS
    R amona put her class picture out of her mind entirely. She had other things to think about. “I wish I would hurry up and be old enough to baby-sit,” she confided to Beezus one cold, wet morning as she watched her sister put on a new T-shirt she had bought with money