Ribsy
| Ribsy | |
|---|---|
 First edition | |
| Author | Beverly Cleary |
| Illustrator | Louis Darling |
| Publisher | William Morrow & Co. |
Publication date | 1964 |
| Pages | 128 pp |
| Preceded by | Henry and the Clubhouse |
Ribsy is the titular character and a children's book by Beverly Cleary. It is the sixth and final book in the Henry Huggins series. Henry plays a minor role in the story, however, as the narrative focuses primarily on his dog, Ribsy.
Plot
Like most of the Henry Huggins books, the incidents in this book follow an ongoing plot line. In this book, the Huggins have a new car, and go out shopping; Ribsy, denied a ride, chases the car at up to 25 miles per hour, and is finally allowed in. At the shopping mall, he is left in the car, and lowers the electric window with the button. He eventually wants to return to await Henry, and gets into the first new-smelling car he finds, but a different family, with several daughters and one toddler son, gets in and takes him home with them. He endures a bubble bath and escapes, wandering in search of Henry.
Ribsy finds an old lady named Mrs. Frawley who is telling him to go away when he raises his paw in greeting and she invites him in. With dinner in his stomach, Ribsy sleeps while Mrs. Frawley goes out to shop for her new pet. He chafes at a coat and colorful leash, then escapes. He, soon after, finds himself becoming the unofficial mascot for a class of elementary school students until he is kicked out over an incident with a squirrel.
Later, Ribsy sneaks into a high school football game and inadvertently makes the game-winning tackle. He is caught by a boy who, pleased at the attention he gets for people thinking it was his dog who won the game, takes him in. The story of the game gains the attention of the Huggins family who attempt to retrieve him. He, however, escapes again after hearing Henry's voice on the phone and runs off in search of his beloved owner.
Later, Ribsy is found by a boy with a tennis ball who lives in an apartment building. The boy decides to adopt him, but panics when confronted by his landlady and hides him on a fire escape where, fortunately, he is spotted by the Huggins family as they drive through the neighborhood in search of him. Mr. Huggins manages to retrieve him from the fire escape with the help of some nearby workmen and he is happily reunited with Henry. They offer the boy, Larry, a portion of the reward and help him deal with his landlady before getting back in the station wagon where Ribsy sits beside Henry on the seat as they drive home, finally reunited.
See also
External links
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