Henry Huggins

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

This timeless classic features a foreword written by New York Times bestselling author Judy Blume, as well as an exclusive interview with Beverly Cleary herself!

In the first novel from Newbery Medal-winning author Beverly Cleary, boys and girls alike will be charmed instantly by an average boy whose life is turned upside down when he meets a lovable puppy with a nose for mischief.

Just as Henry Huggins is complaining that nothing exciting ever happens, a friendly dog sits down beside him and looks pleadingly at his ice-cream cone. From that moment on, the two are inseparable. But when Ribsy's original owner appears, trying to reclaim his dog, Henry's faced with the possibility of losing his new best friend. Has Klickitat Street seen the last of rambunctious Ribsy?

Don't miss the beloved classic Henry Huggins books from Beverly Cleary. These are truly timeless classics that stand the test of time and still leave readers 7-13 smiling.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Introduction (p. 2)
• 1. Henry and Ribs (p. 7)
• 2. Gallons of Guppies (p. 30)
• 3. Henry and the Night Crawlers (p. 55)
• 4. The Green Christmas (p. 80)
• 5. The Pale Pink Dog (p. 108)
• 6. Finders Keepers (p. 136)

Excerpt provided by Syndetics

Henry Huggins 50th Anniversary Edition Chapter One Henry and Ribs Henry Huggins was in the third grade. His hair looked like a scrubbing brush and most of his grown-up front teeth were in. He lived with his mother and father in a square white house on Klickitat Street. Except for having his tonsils out when he was six and breaking his arm falling out of a cherry tree when he was seven, nothing much happened to Henry. I wish something exciting would happen, Henry often thought. But nothing very interesting ever happened to Henry, at least not until one Wednesday afternoon in March. Every Wednesday after school Henry rode downtown on the bus to go swimming at the Y.M.C.A. After he swam for an hour, he got on the bus again and rode home just in time for dinner. It was fun but not really exciting. When Henry left the Y.M.C.A. on this particular Wednesday, he stopped to watch a man tear down a circus poster. Then, with three nickels and one dime in his pocket, he went to the comer drugstore to buy a chocolate ice cream cone. He thought he would eat the ice cream cone, get on the bus, drop his dime in the slot, and ride home. That is not what happened. He bought the ice cream cone and paid for it with one of his nickels. On his way out of the drugstore he stopped to look at funny books. It was a free look, because he had only... Henry Huggins 50th Anniversary Edition . Copyright © by Beverly Cleary. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold. Excerpted from Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Cleary provides a warm, autobiographical introduction to this excellent adaptation of her first book, which was originally published in 1950. Actor Harris (Doogie Howser, M.D.) has enthusiasm to spare in his lively take on Cleary's endearing and humorous work. Third-grader Henry Huggins, who has hair that "looks like a scrubbing brush," is a pretty ordinary kid a little too ordinary in his opinion. Henry wants some excitement in his life. One day, excitement arrives in the form of a skinny stray dog that befriends Henry at the drugstore. Boy and pooch bond instantly when Henry offers his ice cream cone to the dog, who downs it in one gulp. Henry calls his four-legged pal Ribsy, for obvious reasons, and with more than a little effort and confusion, brings the lovable pet home to his family's house on Klickitat Street via city bus and then police car. Harris proves a versatile performer taking on a whole community of friendly voices, including Henry's exasperated but supportive parents and memorable neighbors Beezus and Ramona. He nails Henry's sense of innocent wonder and his sweet, honest demeanor in every scene, employing an authentic boyish delivery that can amuse as well as tug at the heart just like Cleary's writing. Ages 8-12. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

School Library Journal Review

Gr 2-5-Actor Neil Patrick Harris reads Beverly Cleary's novel (Morrow, 2000) with verve and expression in this excellent book-on-tape production of the 50th Anniversary edition of the book. Henry's discovery of a stray dog, Ribsy, is just the beginning of a year of excitement and fun. He hunts night-crawlers, raises gallons of guppies, is stuck with a horrible part in the school operetta, and nearly loses Ribsy in this delightful, classic children's book. Harris creates different voices for each character. He particularly gets into the chapter on the school play, making that section especially hilarious. At the beginning and end of the tape, there is an interview with Cleary that provides interesting insights into what inspires her and her views on the writing process. This exceptional production will delight listeners.-Teresa Bateman, Brigadoon Elementary School, Federal Way, WA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Gr. 3^-5. Maintaining the characteristic conversation of Spanish-speaking children of Hispanic America, this fluid rendition captures Cleary's colloquial style in her timeless story of Henry and a stray dog.

Horn Book Review

This fiftieth anniversary edition contains an introduction by the author explaining how she was inspired to write [cf2]Henry Huggins,[cf1] her first book. From HORN BOOK Fall 2001, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.