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On Picture Books

 Beverly Cleary's gift was for paying very close attention to children. She had respect for a kid's emotional life; she recognized that this life was not substantially different from an *adult's* emotional life.


When Ramona Quimby is old enough to think about her Halloween costume, she has a brief panic attack. She considers the possibility that no one around her will recognize her. If she isn't recognized, is she still Ramona? I remember this sometimes when I'm dealing with social anxiety; the fact that a fear isn't rational doesn't help to erase the fear.

Ramona listens to a fight between her parents and wrestles with the possible implications; she launches a campaign to end her depressed father's smoking habit. She also struggles with boundaries; when another child wears her hair in "boing boing curls," Ramona discovers that she cannot control her own roving fingers. If you have ever engaged in Facebook stalking, then you have walked in Ramona's shoes.

It's nice to see Liana Finck resurrecting Ramona in a new picture book. "Mixed Feelings" is just about being a child. It puts a spotlight on obscure corners of life. "How do I feel? Like there are a million things to do, and not one of them is what I want to do." In one picture, a child contends with his own Divided Self; he is happy to leave for a beach trip but distressed to consider that his dog will be alone for several hours. With subversive humor, Finck acknowledges that there are "codes," and the codes are not as powerful as they sometimes seem to be. ("I feel like breaking the rules by being a little too silly.")

Finck's curiosity and her empathy for children make her a standout. The new book is an inspiration.









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