Henry Huggins was busy picking the cover off an old golf ball one afternoon when it occurred to him that was a pretty silly thing to do. Then just as he was seized by the urge to do something really important, Scooter McCarthy tossed a folded newspaper at his feet. Suddenly Henry knew that delivering papers was exactly what he wanted to do. It was important and it made sense.

Unfortunately, it didn't seem to make sense to anyone but Henry; and somehow even Henry kept getting sidetracked from his goal. When he bought four lively kittens at a rummage sale on his way to see the man who gave out the paper routes, how could he have guessed they would crawl out of his jacket and ruin the interview? And when at last Henry had the longed-for job almost in his grasp, an unexpected rival appeared.

How the affair was settled involves a little girl named Ramona, whose presence in Mrs. Cleary's incomparable stories always brings increased hilarity. So do Louis Darling's inspired illustrations.

--front flap