Nine-year-old Beatrice Quimby, whom Ramona nicknamed “Beezus,” finds her little sister’s childish behavior embarrassing and feels like she is the only person in the world with a bothersome baby sister who always gets her way. Beezus admires her Aunt Beatrice, her namesake, and dreams of becoming just like her someday. Beezus recalls embroidering a potholder for Beatrice. While Beezus works on the gift, Ramona interrupts her over and over, riding around the room on her tricycle playing the same forlorn note on a harmonica. When Beezus suggests she go play with her doll Bendix, Ramona insists Beezus read to her from her favorite book, The Littlest Steam Shovel. Everyone in the Quimby family is so tired of the main character Scoopy’s sad story that Mr. Quimby banned anyone from reading it aloud. After Beezus reads the book, careful to make all the machinery sounds, Ramona resumes her tricycle riding and harmonica playing, much to Beezus’s dismay. Beezus decides to take Ramona to the library in hopes of finding another book. Ramona insists on wearing rabbit ears she made as a school project. Mrs. Quimby allows it, but Beezus is mortified at her sister’s appearance.