Henry Huggins

“‘Just one bite,’ the dog’s brown eyes seemed to say.”

Anthropomorphism is giving an animal or something inanimate human-like qualities. From the first introduction of Ribsy, the author gives him human traits. Ribsy coaxes Henry to share his ice cream cone with a longing gaze much like a human child might beg for a treat. 

“Thump, thump, thump.”

Onomatopoeia is a literary device where the word describes a sound. Ribsy’s tail makes a distinctive sound and becomes one of his signature traits. His thumping tail will later become a problem. 

“At the pet store they stopped while Henry bought two pounds of horse meat from Mr. Pennycuff.”

At one time, horse meat was the primary ingredient in dog food. However, in the 1970s the government banned the use of horse meat for pet food; in 2007, the slaughter of horses for human consumption was outlawed in the US. Though it is still considered a delicacy in some countries, the United States maintains the ban on the use of horse meat for food.

“Henry was sure Ribsy wouldn’t really bite him, but just the same he knew it was not a good idea to annoy any animal when it was eating.”

Though the author gives Ribsy many human-like characteristics, she reminds the reader that he is still an animal. Henry understands the risk of bothering an animal while it is eating. Some animals can become aggressive if they feel in danger of losing their food. This passage illustrates Cleary’s commitment to realism in her fiction. 

“When Henry had first started reading fairy tales by himself and he returned a book and asked for another about gienats and orges. He felt a little silly about it now, although he secretly thought gienats and orges sounded better than giants and ogres.”

This moment provides a bit of humor but also displays Beverly Cleary’s love of language and reading. That Cleary’s child characters often mispronounce or misunderstand language adds humor to the story but also illustrates a child’s development of language. 

“Beezus said she would take one fish. Beezus’s real name was Beatrice, but her little sister Ramona called her Beezus and now everyone else did, too.”

Henry Huggins is Cleary’s first novel, but here she introduces two characters who will become the focal points of her Ramona Quimby series. The first book in the Ramona series focuses on Beezus. However, by the second book, Ramona takes the spotlight, and the rest of the series focuses on her character’s growth from a toddlerhood to adolescence.

“And I thought we might go out to Mount Hood and pick huckleberries.”

This quote sets the location for the novel as Mount Hood in Portland, Oregon. Portland is Beverly Cleary’s home and where she sets both the Henry Huggins and the Ramona series. Henry’s mother, leaning on her knowledge that Henry loves pie, persuades him to give back her jars so she can finish her fruit canning.

“Every boy on Klickitat Street wanted one.”

Klickitat Street is the neighborhood where Cleary’s Henry Huggins and Ramona series take place. The street becomes the place where the children congregate to play with one another. Cleary illustrates the real experience a child might have when one neighborhood kid gets something and then everyone else wants that thing. 

“The ball felt just right. It was big and solid and smelled of new leather. Henry lovingly ran his hands over its surface.”

Cleary uses sensory details to describe the way the new football feels in Henry’s hands. The way he touches the football and admires its construction and materials conveys his desire to own one too. 

“He listened to the whish-click, whish-click of the water sprinkler next door.”

Cleary uses onomatopoeia to convey the rhythmic sounds of the sprinkler. Henry hears the sprinkler sound as he discovers his neighbor collecting worms in his yard. Later, the sound will give Henry the idea to collect worms at the park where they also use sprinklers.

“[H]e thought he never wanted to see another worm.”

Henry collects hundreds of worms to repay Scooter for the lost football. This moment delivers a bit of humor but also displays Henry’s strong work ethic and his commitment to doing the right thing for his neighbor. As Henry feels the physical effects of hard work, he comes to appreciate what it takes to make money.

“He tucked the football under his arm as if he were running ninety yards for a touchdown and sprinted down the street to Scooter’s house.”

Henry’s actions display his excitement over the return to of Scooter’s football. Cleary uses figurative language and a football metaphor to describe the way Henry rushes to return the ball to Scooter. It is a triumphant, winning moment for the protagonist as he return’s his friend’s lost football and knows he will soon have one too.

“Henry disliked stories that ended by being someone’s dream.”

Cleary’s children’s stories display her commitment to displaying the realistic life of a child. This quote is a subtle dig at traditional children’s novels, which Cleary found to be too fanciful and unrealistic. Like Cleary, Henry prefers that his stories be grounded in real life. 

“[H]e went into the kitchen to fix himself a snack of peanut butter, jam, and pickle relish on graham crackers.”

Food is always an important motif in Cleary’s novels. Henry’s strange choice for a snack displays children’s penchant for eating unusual things. Graham crackers are a popular snack for young children, but Henry customizes his snack to his liking. 

“The cold, oily paint was dribbling down his face and neck. He could feel it dripping off his ears.”

Cleary uses sensory language to describe the way Henry feels as the green paint drips off his face. It is an oil-based paint, which gives it a greasy feeling. This also means that it cannot be easily removed with soap and water.

“Good old Ribsy. I don’t know how I’d ever get along without you.”

Ribsy’s appearance on the set of the operetta causes quite a stir and ends in a perceived disaster. Ironically, the disaster is a miracle for Henry because it gets him out of his role as Timmy.

“Beezus said she knew where she could borrow a puppy named Puddles.”

This passage adds humor to the story. First, Beezus and Ramona borrow their neighbor’s puppy just so they can be in the dog show. Also, the dog’s name is Puddles, which is something that happens a lot with a new accident-prone puppy.

“Henry had never seen so many dogs. There were boxers, Great Danes, Pekingese, Airedales, cockers, Saint Bernards, Pomeranians, beagles, setters, pointers, and just plain dogs.”

Cleary gives a long list of pedigree dogs but ends the list with “just plain dogs,” which is exactly Ribsy’s type. Henry isn’t intimidated by the fancy purebred dogs because Ribsy is special to him, not because he is fancy or highborn, but because he loves him.

“Maybe we shouldn’t call you Ribsy any more.”

After the judges weigh Ribsy, Henry realizes how much the dog has thrived since coming to live with him. Through Henry’s dutiful care and love, Ribsy has gained weight, and his name no longer fits. Ironically, when his real owner appears later, Henry learns the dog’s name is Dizzy.

“He’s a mixed breed.”

In a humorous moment, Henry accidentally makes Ribsy pink with talcum powder. Returning to the thoroughbred motif, when the judges inquire about the dog’s unusual color, Henry says he is mixed.

“It was a growl that meant, ‘Don’t bother me. Can’t you see I’m busy.’”

Cleary anthropomorphizes Ribsy by making it seem like he can communicate with Henry. This moment is prescient because, later, Henry will desperately try to communicate with Ribsy to persuade him to choose him over his previous owner. 

“That’s the way she says miaow. She’s pretending she’s a cat.”

Cleary introduces Ramona through her vivid imagination. In the Ramona series, preschool-age Ramona enjoys pretending. Her antics add humor to the story but often embarrass and annoy her older sister, Beezus.

“Finds keepers, losers weepers.”

Mary Jane uses a phrase that used to be common among children. It displays the way children create their own rules for how to live in the world. To a child, if someone finds something, it automatically belongs to them. They often don’t think about whether the item or, in this case, a dog, might rightfully belong to someone else.