Henry Huggins

This article is about the character created by Beverly Cleary. For the book of the same name, see Henry Huggins (book).

Henry Huggins
Cover of Henry Huggins
Created by	Beverly Cleary

'Henry Huggins ' is a character appearing in a series of children's literature novels by Beverly Cleary, illustrated by Louis Darling, and first appearing in Henry Huggins. Henry is a young boy living on Klickitat Street in Portland, Oregon. The novels take place in the 1950s, which is when Cleary wrote most of the books. The books describe adventures that Henry experiences in his neighborhood and Henry's interactions with other neighborhood children.

Cleary, a librarian, wrote the first Henry Huggins book in 1950, in response to the boys in her library searching for books "about boys like us." Cleary later launched a new series about one of the supporting characters, Ramona Quimby. The Ramona series ultimately surpassed the Henry Huggins series in popularity. Henry Huggins appeared only rarely in the Ramona series, as a supporting character. Henry was portrayed by Hutch Dano in the movie Ramona and Beezus.

Characters in Henry Huggins series

• Henry Huggins
• Ribsy: Ribsy is Henry's dog; the dog was named "Ribsy" because when Henry found him, he was so thin, his ribs were showing.
• Beezus Quimby: Beezus, whose real name is Beatrice, is one of the children in Henry's neighborhood. Beezus acquired her nickname because her younger sister, Ramona, was unable to say "Beatrice," and everyone in the neighborhood began using her pronunciation.
• Ramona Quimby: Ramona is Beezus's younger sister. She wants to do everything her sister and Henry do, but because she is so young, the older children perceive her as a pest. In her preschool days, her favorite TV show was the Sheriff Bud show, a fictionalization of Howdy Doody.
• Henry's parents
• Robert: Henry's best friend
• Scooter McCarthy: An older boy with a paper route; Henry is often irritated by Scooter's upperclassman attitudes.
• Byron "Murph" Murphy: An older boy who is a genius, and friends with Henry.
• Mary Jane: A girl who lives down the street who is friends with Beezus. Henry doesn't really like her.
• The Grumbies: The Huggins' neighbors. Henry gets along with Mr. Grumbie but dislikes Mrs. Grumbie because she doesn't like Ribsy, which is "the same thing as not liking Henry."
• Mrs. Peabody: One of Henry's paper route customers, who has a dog named Ranger, and who for a time calls Henry "Harry Higgins". Henry is about 11 years old.

Books in the series

• Henry Huggins, published in 1950
• Henry and Beezus, published in 1952
• Henry and Ribsy, published in 1954
• Henry and the Paper Route, published in 1957
• Henry and the Clubhouse, published in 1962
• Ribsy, published in 1964