“Henry Huggins’s dog Ribsy was a plain ordinary city dog, the kind of dog that strangers usually called Mutt or Pooch.”

From Beverly Cleary’s Ribsy.

While many would easily find faults in his dog Ribsy, Henry knows that his dog is loyal and kind… if not easily distracted. When the Huggins family loads up in the car for a shopping trip, Ribsy is not allowed to join the family because the new car is not dog-friendly. Not to be left behind, Ribsy chases after the car until the family notices and reluctantly let the dog inside because of how far from home they are. While waiting alone in the car, Ribsy jumps out the window for a bit and then mistakenly jumps back into the wrong car. When the other family returns to find Ribsy in their car, they take him home and clean him up, but Ribsy escapes to search for Henry at the first chance he gets. On his search to find his boy, Ribsy is temporarily taken in by an old woman, an elementary school, a high school boy, and a young boy that lives in an apartment building. However, Ribsy never gives up searching for Henry and his family, but with the Huggins family desperately following his trail, they drift farther and farther apart.

This sixth installment in the Henry Huggins series has captivated young readers for decades, and still creates an engaging story for modern readers. Cleary allows the story to be gently guided by the simple happenings, but does so in a way that is not overpowering to the mishaps that make the book so enjoyable. Ribsy is a fun, quick, and easy read that is unlike any other.