Henry and Mudge Series

Picture from amazon.ca

The Henry and Mudge series by Cynthia Rylant is recommended by Pam Allyn in her book Best Books for Boys, in her “Learning to Love Reading” section.

The books are early readers, categorized at level 2, but they are also good for children who are not yet ready to read on their own. The stories are simple and full of energy and positive messages.

Henry is an only child who becomes friends with an English mastiff named Mudge. They do everything together. The bond they share is one of true friendship and something that children can easily relate to. Henry is a nice young boy and, despite his size, his dog is affectionate and loved by everyone.

The books also win points for positive portrayals of parents. Dad is involved in his son’s life, and Mom can do more than cook. In Henry and Mudge and the Starry Night the family goes camping and it is Mom who knows how to set up the tent, build the fire, and cook camp food. Dad makes his contribution through music, by singing “sappy love songs.” In the five books I read from the series, Dad is a central part of the story: the entire family vacations together, Dad helps Henry in a snowman building contest, and he prepares a funny Mother’s Day lunch for Mom.

From the minute we brought the first Henry and Mudge book home from the library, my son was hooked.