Customer Reviews

Henry Huggins (50th Anniversary Edition: Includes an Interview with the Author)

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

My 9-year-old son wasn't an avid or enthusiastic reader, and when it came time for his first book report, my husband and I panicked. We were afraid we'd never find a book that sparked his interest enough to want to read through to the end.

Thank goodness for Henry Huggins. This story is simply adorable, and I was delighted to see my son laugh out loud as he read the book. After he finished a chaper, he'd run and tell me what new mess Henry and his lovable scoundrel of a dog, Ribsy, had gotten themselves into. In fact, I actually caught my son reading the book on his own, with no prodding from me or his father.

This book was published in 1950 and so my son did have a few questions about why things were so inexpensive in the story, but other than that, "Henry Huggins" is not dated at all and the story is just entertaining now as it was in the 1950s.

I am so thankful that I purchased this book and that it not only kept my son's interest but helped him realize that books could be fun. This story should be a great first "chapter book" for any child who is ready to move past picture books.

I never did read much Cleary growing up...but since the Girl is having some trouble getting into book, I thought this might be a good one for her...and I was right, she absolutely LOVED it. Henry Huggins (like How to Eat Fried Worms) is a bit dated, since it was written in 1949, but the overall feel and character of the story is pretty much timeless. We are presented with a typical neighborhood, family, kids, neighbors of the time that, despite the way we live life today, is presented in a way that is still accessible to kids today (even those not living in suburban neighborhoods. Henry is a typical boy who wants a bit of excitement in his life...and finds it while browsing at the local convenience store, in the form of Ribsy as skinny mutt who he decides to take home (with his mother's permission of course)...on the BUS! This is first of 5 adventures that Henry and Ribsy encounter as they go on through the book (we also get raising guppies, catching thousands of night crawlers, a charming look at Christmas pageants and snow from a 9 year olds perspective, the dog show, and the prospect of Henry having to give up Ribsy). Each is charming and still endearing more than 50 years after it was originally written. We are presented with stories that show Henry as honest and hard working, we learn to have compassion for others and that doing the right thing is always important...all in a humorous and realistic way that doesn't feel like the message is being shoved down our throats! I give it a solid A, even after 50+ years, Henry Huggins is fine reading for 8-10 year olds!

My all-time favorite book is HENRY HUGGINS. I am a 34-year old mother of 2 boys who are too young to read the book by themselves and not interested in sitting through a book with very few pictures. However, I have been eager to share this wholesome story with them. So, this book on CD was perfect!! I play it in the car and I don't hear a sound out of them for miles--they are so engrossed in the story and don't want to miss a word. (great for long trips!) They love Henry's adventures & his crazy dog, Ribsy. Neil Patrick Harris does the most fantastic job reading this wonderful story. His voice changes so much for each character that you would swear it was more than one person reading the story. From Mrs. Huggins to Mr. Pennycuff, the pet shop owner, Neil Patrick Harris keeps us entertained with his impersonations of the characters. I love this CD set. I'm thrilled to be able to share Beverly Cleary's timeless stories with my children and I know they will love them just as much when they actually learn how to read! I hope they have Neil Patrick Harris record the other Henry Huggins books too. Super job!!

I remember almost every one of Henry's antics and adventures and I read these books 20 years ago. This book is the classic that started it all. I love the Ramona books, but Henry will always be my favorite. He has his shortcomings, but he is a true good spirit, a good friend, and a great dog owner. Make sure to have your kids read this book, it is truly just a sweet story about a boy, his life, and his dog.

From my understanding, Beverly Cleary was a librarian who could not get some boys to read. They complained that there wasn't anything to read that they could relate to. They asked why weren't there books about kids like them, just average boys? So Beverly Cleary wrote "Henry Huggins" for them- a story of an average boy who gets into all sorts of believable adventures with highly amusing results. It is a GREAT book, and Ms. Cleary introduced to children's literature some of its greatest characters: Henry and his dog, Ribsy; and, in later books, his tomboy friend, Beezus, and Beezus' amazingly pesty kid sister, Ramona. Everyone of the subsequent books in the Henry/Ramona series is fantastic- filled with humor and characters with whom kids can understand and relate. "Henry Huggins" started it all and makes a wonderful introduction to Ms. Cleary's world on Kickalat Street.

This was a funny story about a boy and his dog. It all started when Henry Huggins found a lost dog outside of the drugstore one day after buying some ice cream. After a complicated ride on the bus, Henry gets the dog home and his mom says he can keep him. Henry names the dog Ribsy. The two have many adventures in the year they are together. This includes winning a dog show, and getting their picture in a newspaper. Unfortunately it is this very picture that leads the dogs original owner back to the dog.

I liked this book because I thought it was very funny. One particular part of the book has everyone fall to the floor and unable to get up because of some apples a lady dropped when the dog got loose. Henry makes a great buy at the pet store and brings home two guppies that quickly multiply. Before he knows it he has hundreds of baby guppies.

My favorite part of the story is when the original owner tracks them down with the help of the newspaper picture, and wants his dog back. They decide to let the dog choose who he wants to go with. Henry and the stranger stand back and each call to the dog. To Henry's surprise the dogs name is Dizzy. After what seemed like forever to the boys, Ribsy chooses Henry.

This story takes place in a street called Klickitat Street and it takes place somewhere in the past. It takes place in the past because when they go to the store everything is cheap.

This book is mostly about a third grade boy named Henry Huggins and his friends Beezus, Scotter, Mary Jane, and Ramona. In the begging of the story Henry is trying to look for a pet. In the second part they put him in a play but he don't want to be in it.

In my opinion it was a good book because it tells a lot of what friends do and to care about each other. I would recommend this book because it says like how to be fair and if you do something wrong fix it.

One day Henry finds a dog and he tries to take it home on the bus. Henry and Ribsy become best friends. One funny chapter was when they entered a contest and Henry tried to clean up Ribsy and mistakenly put pink powder all over Ribsy and they ended up winning because Ribsy was a pink dog. I am going into 4th grade and I read this book for school summer reading. I liked it a lot.

When I was just starting to read, I would check out all the Henry Huggins books from the libary. It was fun to see the 50th Anniversary Edition available through Amazon.com. I ordered myself & my sister one. We both enjoyed getting the books & remembering reading them in our younger days.

My son and I had just started reading some of Cleary's well-known titles together as bed-time stories, and I decided to buy some on CD as well. Cleary has now become his all time favorite and I couldn't be more delighted, as I recall racing through her books when I was my son's age! He can relate to so many of the characters (especially the michievous ones), and the CD has now become a nighttime favorite. Once our oral story time is over, he will fall asleep listening to Henry Huggins, Ellen Tebbits or Ramona Quimby's escapades on CD. It's become a ritual in our house and I'm delighted he's so interested in reading.