On Klickitat Street

A couple things I loved in "Henry Huggins."

First, there's an interest in cause and effect. Henry sprinkles talcum powder on Ribsy, because he thinks it will conceal some spots. Actually, it makes Ribsy pink. But the pinkness leads to Ribsy getting named "Most Unusual Dog." But this triumph leads to newspaper coverage, which means Ribsy almost gets taken away. You can't predict everything that will happen.

A second thing I loved. Other people are unknowable, and Cleary understands this. Throughout "Huggins," Scooter seems to be an antagonist--but then, at the end, it's Scooter who really stands up for Henry against the new kid. This is surprising, but it seems right. We just can't read another person's mind.

More later.

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