Books like Ribsy

It's the Year of the Dog in the Chinese Zodiac, and even though I added many new dog titles to my shelf this year in honor of my favorite animal, I am no newcomer to Ribsy.Ribsy is my favorite story of a dog-as-protagonist, and this week's introductory read-aloud to my 7-year-old was quite possibly my. . . 10th read of this Beverly Cleary classic.And I mean classic. Despite its publication date of 1964, this has remained a modern story, dated only when prices or salaries are mentioned. Dang it, Ms. Cleary, you managed to do it again. Managed to show us life among the middle and lower white class neighborhoods in a decade that could have been any decade, in a town that could have been any town, focusing in on a family that could have been almost any family, here in the U.S.A.And she uses a dog, good old Ribsy, as the lens, so to speak, that gives us vision. Through Ribsy we are able to be the fly on the wall in a diverse number of households, and through the dog's senses, we find ourselves having no judgement, just experience. It's almost impossible to be disinterested in the journey of a lost dog, and even harder not to root for the reunion of a beloved boy, Henry Huggins, and his unflappable pooch.There is joy. There is angst. There is the crying mother. As a related aside. . . did you know that Beverly Cleary is still alive? On the day I am writing this review, she is 102 years old. Ms. Cleary, I love you!