Henry Huggins – Audio CD

Cleary, Beverly. Henry Huggins. Harper Children's Audio, 2001. ISBN 978-0694525256

Plot

Henry Huggins is a typical 1950s third-grader. One day he goes to the drugstore for an ice cream cone. There he meets a stray dog. The dog is hungry and thin, so Henry offers him his ice cream cone. They bond instantly. Henry takes his new dog, Ribsy, home by bus and police car. Henry has other adventures as he fills his house with jars of guppies that multiply prodigiously. He goes into business selling earthworms to raise money for a new football. Ribsy enters a dog show and wins "most unusual" dog. Eventually Ribsy's old owner arrives on the scene. Will Ribsy choose Henry or his old life?

Critical Evaluation

This book is good, fun reading for boys and girls. Henry lives in a time when children rode buses alone, boys had paper routes, and neighborhoods were filled with playing children. The audio CD edition is read by Neil Patrick Harris. He does an amazing job as he captures the voices and personalities of all the characters in the book. The story is introduced by the author. This book is the first in a series of books about Henry.

Annotations

Henry Huggins finds a new dog, Ribsy, and has many adventures. He learns to be responsible for his dog, his guppies, and his paper route.

Author

Beverly Cleary won many awards for the children's books she wrote. She began the Henry Huggins series when worked at a library and could not find enough books for young boys to read.

Genre

Fiction

Curriculum Ties

Language Arts

Booktalk Ideas

Read aloud the passage of the book in which Henry meets Ribsy. Share the illustrations with the group. Then discuss lost and found pets with the group.

Listening Level/Interest Age

Grade 3 -6 (age 8 – 12).

Challenge Issues and Defense

none

Why is it here?

Henry Huggins is a classic introduction to a wonderful series and a wonderful author for young tweens.