Henry Huggins

Though she always loved books, Beverly Cleary didn’t become a writer until she was in her thirties. What began as a project to entertain her young patrons at the library where she worked in the 1940s became the genesis of her first children’s book and the start of a writing career that would span decades, inspire generations of young readers, and transform the landscape of children’s literature. Born on April 12, 1916, in McMinnville, Oregon, Cleary struggled with reading and never found children’s books that interested her. After completing her education, Cleary became a librarian and noticed the lack of relatable children’s books and her patrons’ lack of interest in the fantastical, unrealistic canon of traditional children’s stories. Drawing from her childhood memories and observations of children around her, Cleary began to craft children’s stories and dedicated herself to portraying authentic and relatable characters. The stories first came together in her mind, and later she began to write them longhand. She fine-tuned the storylines and dialogue to ensure the stories would appeal to young readers. Cleary never intended to become a published writer, but soon her work became public, and Cleary’s life took an unexpected turn (Egan, Elisabeth. “Beverly Cleary Wrote About Real Life, and Her Readers Loved Her for It.” New York Times, 27 March 2021).

The idea for Henry Huggins came during Cleary’s time working at a bookstore in Yakima, Washington, and she picked up a children’s book about a dog that said, “Bow-wow. I like the green grass.” Cleary saw the portrayal of the dog as silly and unrealistic and thought that she could create a better version. Originally, she planned for the protagonist to be a girl, but she struggled to find inspiration. After remembering a meeting she had with some boys at the library who asked for help finding books for normal boys, Cleary decided to write about a little boy. In her introduction to Henry Huggins, Cleary says, “I mused about those boys and all the boys I had ever known, boys from families with modest incomes who lived in neighborhoods of old house, lawns, and tree-lined street, boys who did not have scary adventures but who made their own excitement.” Cleary began by crafting the stories in her mind and testing them on children at library story time. Taking the oral stories, mixing them with her childhood experiences, and adding bits of stories she overheard, Cleary began composing a group of short stories about a boy named Henry. She sent the stories to a publisher, but they returned the manuscript and suggested she try publishing the stories individually in a magazine. Having no interest in working for a magazine, Cleary continued to work on the manuscript and eventually added more chapters to create a full-length book. She submitted the manuscript to Morrow Junior Books and was thrilled when editor Elisabeth Hamilton accepted the manuscript with a few caveats. Hamilton suggested minor changes, helped Cleary rework the last chapter, and the book was published the following fall. Cleary would go on to write five more books in the Henry Huggins series, which would only be the beginning of her long and successful literary career. Cleary says that while the Ramona books are her favorites, she credits the process of creating Henry Huggins with teaching her how to be a writer (“An Interview with Beverly Cleary on Henry Huggins.” Cleary, Beverly, Henry Huggins. Harper Collins, 2016).