Henry Huggins is the lesser known resident on Klickitat Street, but he’s got a lot to offer kids and their parents even sixty years later! You are probably more familiar or might remember better from your childhood Beezus and Ramona books, but these two lovable sisters show up in Henry Huggins, too! Plus who can resist Ribsy? Okay, some of you cat lovers might be able to resist him; but as we all know, I’m a dog lover for sure!

Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary begins with Henry in the third grade and wishing that something exciting would happen to him. And that’s when he meets Ribsy, a lost and hungry dog, while eating an ice cream cone that the dog wants and eventually gets. Of course, somehow in this same chapter, Henry ends up in a police car, but you’ll have to find a copy of Henry Huggins and share it with your children or your class to remember why! Besides getting a stray dog in this book, Henry also brings home a bag full of guppies, throws his friend’s ball into an open window of a passing car, and has to be Timmy in the Christmas play!

So, what makes Henry Huggins a good read still today? Well, I appreciate Henry’s independence, creativity, and imagination. Won’t your students or your children be shocked at how much fun Henry can have without TV and a Nintendo DS? I also think Henry is funny. Kids need to laugh at books. This is a great chapter book for first through third graders to read who are ready to go beyond picture books. It’s good, wholesome fun! Plus, Henry gets into trouble, and many children will be able to empathize with him and discuss some of the things he could have done to stay out of trouble. These are timeless themes!

What’s your favorite Beverly Cleary book?

Don’t forget, there’s a contest going on until Friday, February 26 at 11:55 p.m. (CST). Click here for more information.

Two weeks ago, I talked about Judy Blume’s classic Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret and about the recent controversy over book covers. As you can see, today’s Timeless Thursday book Ramona Quimby, Age 8 also has a new, modern book cover, but that’s not what I’m here to blog about today.

Beverly Cleary has created some of the most endearing child characters ever, and my favorite is Ramona. Some more modern writers have written stories about strong,funny, independent girls such as Sara Pennypacker’s Clementine series or Susan Patron’s award-winning character, Lucky. I love these new girl characters, but my heart still belongs to Ramona. I am an only child, and as much as Beezus and Ramona might have driven each other crazy, I wanted my Beezus. I also remember learning to write cursive and being as proud as Ramona was when she wrote Ramona Quimby, Age 8 carefully in cursive. I could relate to Ramona, and that is why she will forever remain timeless in my heart.

Why would kids today want to read a book written by Beverly Cleary in 1981? Why wouldn’t they? The answer is as clear as day on the front cover of the latest version of Ramona Quimby, Age 8–”Life as a third grader is tough!” Don’t all elementary kids think they have it the toughest? Don’t they want to read something written by an author who truly understands them? Yes and yes!

So, although there are new, wonderful books out, don’t forget to share the old classics with your children and your students, too. If they haven’t heard of Ramona Quimby yet, give them this first book and let them decide for themselves.

What’s your favorite Beverly Cleary book?

Reviewed by Margo Dill, www.margodill.com, margodll@aol.com

Chapter book, contemporary (but written in the 1960s) fantasy
Young boy and Ralph the mouse as main characters
Rating: One of my favorite Beverly Cleary books. Ralph is absolutely endearing, and kids love him!

Short, short summary: Ralph lives in a mousehole in Room 215 in Mountain View Inn. When Keith and his parents become tenants there, Ralph is excited that Keith may leave some food around. But then Ralph sees even something more wonderful than food–a little, toy motorcycle. Ralph craves action and investigates the motorcycle when the room is empty. Unfortunately, he winds up in the trash can. Keith rescues Ralph, and they talk to each other. Ralph winds up riding the motorcycle around Mountain View Inn and has many exciting adventures for a little mouse. When Keith gets a fever, Ralph wants to help his new friend. And he knows just how to do it!

So, what do I do with this book?
1. Ralph and Keith develop a great friendship. This is a book you can use to discuss with your students or your child what makes a good friend. What are the characteristics of a good friend? Ask students to write in their journals about why Ralph and Keith have a good friendship. Ask them to make a personal connection with the book by comparing and contrasting one of their friendships with Ralph and Keith’s.

2. Cause and effect are easy to teach with The Mouse and the Motorcycle. Ask students to find several cause and effect pairs in the story. They can write the pairs in their reading journals, such as–Cause: Keith leaves out his motorcycle. Effect: Ralph climbs up to look at it. You can also ask students to find the effects of several causes you list for them. You can list causes such as: Cause: The telephone rings. Effect???? and so on.

3. Beverly Cleary wrote a sequel to this book, and your students can, too. At the end of the story, Ralph keeps his motorcycle. Ask your students to write a story about another adventure with Ralph and his motorcycle. Will your students be in the story, will they make up characters, or will they use the characters from the story? When your students are finished with their sequels, and if they are interested, you can let students know about the sequel–Ralph S. Mouse by Beverly Cleary.

If you have used this book with your students or with your children, please leave a comment here and let us know how it went. For more ideas about teaching reading, please check out Sound It Out.

If you have a suggestion of a book for me to read and review, please email me at margodll@aol.com or leave a comment here.

photo by aturkus at www.flickr.com