Reading, for me, is entertainment and an escape from the real world. But it can also inform and stretch the boundaries of the life I live.
I didn't connect with Henry as I did with Ramona, but his adventures are still a lot of fun as he creates chaos on a city bus, delights in his guppy population boom, schemes to get out of the school play, and negotiates his place among the other boys in the neighborhood. My 1965 printing's illustrations, by Louis Darling, perfectly capture the essence of the boy and his scruffy mutt.