Book Rec: "Henry Huggins"

A romance--a boy and his dog.

Henry gives and gives to Ribsy. A proper ride home (harder than it might seem), a collar and bowl (which means saving some cash), regular walks, the opportunity to shine in a local dog show.

Ribsy, in turn, gives back: companionship, a way for Henry to get out of the awful school play, moments of comedy.

No marriage is perfect, and Ribsy can irritate his owner. He won't walk slowly if Henry is carrying a full fish tank. He won't sit still during an important interview.

But these two are meant to be together, and we see that in the thrilling and weirdly poignant finale. (I won't give more away, except to say that Cleary displays her gift for heartbreaking understatement when Henry becomes speechless in the final pages.)

I loved this book.

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