Business Communication Is Communication That Promotes a Product, Service, or Organization; Relays Information Within a Business; or Functions as an Official Statement from a Company.

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Beverly Cleary

I L L U S T R AT E D B Y

Tracy Dockray

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Contents

1. Payday 1 2. Ramona and the Million Dollars

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3. The Night of the Jack-O’-Lantern 49 4. Ramona to the Rescue 5. Beezus’s Creative Writing 6. The Sheep Suit 7.

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Ramona and the Three Wise Persons

About the Author Other Books by Beverly Cleary Credits Cover Copyright About the Publisher

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Payday

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e-e-ep!” sang Ramona Quimby one warm September afternoon, as she knelt on a chair at the kitchen table to make out her Christmas list. She had enjoyed a good day in second grade, and she looked forward to working on her list. For Ramona a Christmas list was a list of presents she hoped to receive, not presents she planned to give. “Ye-e-ep!” she sang again.

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“Thank goodness today is payday,” remarked Mrs. Quimby, as she opened the refrigerator to see what she could find for supper. “Ye-e-ep!” sang Ramona, as she printed mice or ginny pig on her list with purple crayon. Next to Christmas and her birthday, her father’s payday was her favorite day. His payday meant treats. Her mother’s payday from her part-time job in a doctor’s office meant they could make payments on the bedroom the Quimbys had added to their house when Ramona was in first grade. “What’s all this yeeping about?” asked Mrs. Quimby. “I’m making a joyful noise until the Lord like they say in Sunday school,” Ramona explained.“Only they don’t tell us what the joyful noise sounds like so I made up my own.” Hooray and wow, joyful noises to Ramona, had not sounded right, so she had

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settled on yeep because it sounded happy but not rowdy. “Isn’t that all right?” she asked, as she began to add myna bird that talks to her list.

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“Yeep is fine if that’s the way you feel about it,” reassured Mrs. Quimby. Ramona printed coocoo clock on her list while she wondered what the treat would be this payday. Maybe, since this was Friday, they could all go to a movie if her parents could find one suitable. Both...