Henry and Ribsy (1954)

An older book that has stood the test of time - funny with situations that kids this age can still relate to. My son and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it together. ( )

More earnest adventures and hilarious mishaps ensue in this Henry Huggins book. As with the introductory book featuring the irrepressible Henry, who never understands how he gets into so much trouble, most of the book is a series of vignettes featuring everyday encounters that are humorous and entertaining. This book has an overarching plot, though: Henry really wants to go fishing with his father, but his dad makes a deal with him that he has to keep Ribsy out of trouble for the two months before his next trip. This goal shapes his interactions with his dog and his friends for the remainder of the book, and the happy conclusion to his vigilant care is a fishing trip that concludes the story.

Henry tries to keep Ribsy from bothering others, but that isn't an easy job. Ribsy does attack the garbage man; of course, that's because he thinks the garbage is Henry's personal property and he is protecting it. Ribsy does get blamed for chasing Ramona up the jungle gym; the reader knows, though, that Ramona stole Ribsy's bone and climbed up the play structure to keep it away from him, and Ribsy is just trying to get it back. Others may think that Ribsy is a menace, but Henry knows that he is a good dog, and his parents know it, as well. In the end, Henry is allowed to go on his fishing trip, but Ribsy makes sure to enliven that experience, too.

Another fun Beverly Cleary series. I love Henry's character. He is the quintessential little boy, who plays football and loves his dog and catches animals. Not all boys are like this, but a lot are, and Henry is iconic of boyhood. He has so much energy, and he is good natured. His childish innocence and immaturity is a delight. When he and his friends are together, I really believe that I am eavesdropping on a group of children. Cleary is a master at capturing a child's thoughts, feelings, and actions. Not to leave Ribsy out - because he is just as big a character as Henry - the dog is fantastic. He is loyal, but disobeys when he might get some food out of it; he is sweet but bumbling and prone to accidents. The pair of them create a good story. I intend on reading the rest of the books that feature this silly duo. ( )

First edition

I read this book aloud to my daughters.

Cleary was one of my favourite authors as a child. Even though this book was originally written over 50 years ago, it is just as enjoyable to today's children as it was back then. My elder daughter was amazed at how Henry was allowed to go to the store alone, stay back on land alone while his father went fishing, etc. It is certainly a different world today!! We chuckled when reading that Henry was excited that his allowance was raised to 40 cents a week.

It's hard to go wrong with a Cleary book. ( )

This is a sweet book about a boy and his dog and the difficulty of having pets. I wanted to read this because, while I read all of Cleary's books about Ramona, I had never read any of her others. It was great to see her fresh and wonderful writing from the perspective of a little boy. ( )