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Leave It to Beaver
Beaver and Wally
There's simply nothing like growing up, as Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver discovers...the hard way. His older brother Wally is in a more advanced stage of growing pains -- causing Beaver lots of grief. When Wally suddenly gets busy trying to earn money, Beaver is especially puzzled. What could he need so much extra cash for? At the same time, Beaver tries to help Wally -- and learns some important lessons.
From the award-winning author of The Mouse and the Motorcycle and the Ramona series, based on the classic television program Leave It to Beaver, created by Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher.
From the award-winning author of The Mouse and the Motorcycle and the Ramona series, based on the classic television program Leave It to Beaver, created by Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher.
124 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1961
About the author
Beverly Cleary
280 books3,420 followersBeverly Atlee Cleary was an American writer of children's and young adult fiction. One of America's most successful authors, 91 million copies of her books have been sold worldwide since her first book was published in 1950. Some of her best known characters are Ramona Quimby and Beezus Quimby, Henry Huggins and his dog Ribsy, and Ralph S. Mouse.
The majority of Cleary's books are set in the Grant Park neighborhood of northeast Portland, Oregon, where she was raised, and she has been credited as one of the first authors of children's literature to figure emotional realism in the narratives of her characters, often children in middle-class families. Her first children's book was Henry Huggins after a question from a kid when Cleary was a librarian. Cleary won the 1981 National Book Award for Ramona and Her Mother and the 1984 Newbery Medal for Dear Mr. Henshaw. For her lifetime contributions to American literature, she received the National Medal of Arts, recognition as a Library of Congress Living Legend, and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal from the Association for Library Service to Children. The Beverly Cleary School, a public school in Portland, was named after her, and several statues of her most famous characters were erected in Grant Park in 1995. Cleary died on March 25, 2021, at the age of 104.
The majority of Cleary's books are set in the Grant Park neighborhood of northeast Portland, Oregon, where she was raised, and she has been credited as one of the first authors of children's literature to figure emotional realism in the narratives of her characters, often children in middle-class families. Her first children's book was Henry Huggins after a question from a kid when Cleary was a librarian. Cleary won the 1981 National Book Award for Ramona and Her Mother and the 1984 Newbery Medal for Dear Mr. Henshaw. For her lifetime contributions to American literature, she received the National Medal of Arts, recognition as a Library of Congress Living Legend, and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal from the Association for Library Service to Children. The Beverly Cleary School, a public school in Portland, was named after her, and several statues of her most famous characters were erected in Grant Park in 1995. Cleary died on March 25, 2021, at the age of 104.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 7, 2020
Leave It to Beaver, Beverly Cleary's first novel based on these characters, was an assortment of mostly unrelated adventures adapted from episodes of the television series. Her followup novel, Here's Beaver!, shaped its episodes to form a smoother arc, like chapters in a book rather than separate episodes. Wally and Beaver continues in this direction, reading almost like a regular juvenile novel, though its stories are still based on individual episodes from the series. The first two, Beaver Goes to the Carnival and The Horse Named Nick, are adapted from the season two episode A Horse Named Nick, originally written by Hugh Beaumont (the actor who portrays Mr. Cleaver.) Sixteen-year-old Wally is hired to help a local carnival care for its animals, and his brother Beaver, a fifth-grader, has mixed feelings. Lately Wally has been obsessed with earning money above and beyond his allowance, and Beaver wonders why. He, too, wishes he could be a temporary carny, but has to settle for following Wally to the carnival and enjoying the many entertainment options. When the carnival is about to leave town, Beaver volunteers to collect the money Wally is owed so his brother can take care of another commitment. Unfortunately, Mr. and Mrs. Cleaver's misgivings about carny folk are validated when Beaver is tricked into accepting an old horse named Nick in lieu of the cash that Wally expected. The family isn't happy when Beaver leads Nick home and stashes him in the garage. The Cleavers can't keep him, and no one is eager to buy a horse in questionable physical condition. Beaver and Wally refuse to sell Nick to the man from the glue factory, but Mr. Cleaver finds a solution that will provide Nick a good home, though Wally will still lose out on being paid for his work at the carnival. It's a lesson in discretion for Beaver, though Wally wishes his brother would learn these lessons at his own expense.
In Chuckie's New Shoes, the first Beverly Cleary story based on a season four episode, Beaver escorts little Chuckie Murdock to the shoe store. Mrs. Murdock is paying Wally to do it as a babysitting job, but Wally has somewhere to be, and Beaver could use the money. He soon learns that keeping tabs on Chuckie is a real hassle. On the way to the shoe store, the boy threatens to scream if Beaver doesn't buy him ice cream, and at the store, Chuckie is nearly impossible to corral. Beaver has to purchase a second pair of shoes on Mrs. Murdock's tab just to prevent Chuckie from screaming again, and after finalizing the sale, he can't find the little boy. What will Mrs. Murdock say if Beaver returns without him? Beaver wishes he'd never involved himself in babysitting, but the situation isn't as dire as he fears. All will turn out okay, even if Wally is miffed at Beaver for bungling the job and Mrs. Murdock won't be inclined to trust Wally in the future. It's hard to tell which of the Cleaver boys is at a harder stage of growing up.
Next is Wally's Play, based on the season three episode of the same name. Wally is a fledgling member of a school club called the Crusaders, but is reluctant to participate in their upcoming stage play. The Crusaders is an all-boys club, so some of them have to play girls' roles, but why does Wally have to dress in pink and dance in front of everyone? He would almost rather not be a Crusader, as big an honor as membership is. Mr. Cleaver advises him to accept his part with good humor and enjoy poking fun at himself, but Wally has a different idea: if he can con his friend (and fellow Crusader) Eddie Haskell into swapping parts with him, Wally will be home free. Beaver helps Wally work the con to perfection, but will Wally regret missing this opportunity to embrace the full Crusader experience? Eddie just might get the better end of their swap.
Wally obtains a job in Wally, the Lifeguard, adapted from the season four episode. Friend's Lake needs a Saturday lifeguard, and Wally has the swimming skills to fit the bill. Beaver will be proud to point out his heroic brother to his friends on the beach, but both boys are disappointed when it turns out Wally isn't old enough to be a lifeguard; the man in charge offers to let him sell food and drink as a roving concessionaire, but it's nowhere near as exciting as saving people from drowning. The worst moment comes when Eddie Haskell and Mary Ellen Rogers, the girl that Wally fancies, spot him on the job and laugh at him. The reason Wally wants to earn money is to take Mary Ellen on dates, and he's angry at her attitude. Well, he figures, he can continue making money but not spend any on her if she's going to act that way. Beaver is more often an annoyance than a comfort to Wally, but this time he reminds his older brother that having a job is pretty swell, even if he's not a lifeguard. Having a brother to lift your spirits can be rather nice.
Remaining in season four, we come to Beaver's Accordion. Beaver is intrigued by a mail-in offer that sounds too good to pass up: the Worldwide Academy of Music wants to send him an accordion for a free five-day trial. Beaver could learn to play in a day or two, send it back without any cost, and go on to be a world-famous accordionist. When the squeezebox arrives, however, Beaver is taken aback by its size, weight, and elite craftsmanship. Wally warns him that if Mr. Cleaver finds out Beaver sent away for the instrument, he'll be outraged. There's still time to pack it up and send it back to the Worldwide Academy of Music, but Beaver will need Wally's assistance to ship it before the five-day trial ends. Beaver hasn't always been reliable when Wally needed him, but his big brother even agrees to pay the hefty shipping fee as long as Beaver reimburses him eventually. It's a relief to be rid of the accordion without Mr. Cleaver ever knowing about it, and Beaver is glad he has Wally on his side.
Another season four episode follows, Wally's Glamour Girl. Wally is alarmed that Margaret Benson, a longtime friend of his mother's, is visiting Mayfield with her family. In light of the correspondence by letter that Wally started last summer with Mrs. Benson's teenage daughter, Kitty, arrangements have been made by their parents for Wally to take Kitty to the Mayfield Country Club dance. Wally is unenthusiastic, but Mr. and Mrs. Cleaver insist he follow through on the deal. Later, he admits to Beaver why he doesn't want to take Kitty: he embellished quite a few details of his life in the letters he wrote, portraying his family as wealthy. If Wally doesn't have expensive flowers to give Kitty before the dance, or a fancy mode of transport, he'll be a laughingstock. He could have splurged on a few small luxuries had most of his savings not been spent on shipping Beaver's accordion back to the Worldwide Academy of Music. It seems that Wally is doomed, but he may be surprised by Kitty's reaction to his fabrications. The dance might be more fun than Wally dared hope.
We end with Beaver and Violet, a season three episode that ushers Beaver closer to the precipice of adolescence. It's no secret that he and Judy Hensler aren't fond of each other, but Beaver isn't on much better terms with Violet Rutherford, another girl from school. Mr. Cleaver orders him to treat her civilly, however; her father, Fred (played onscreen by the beloved Richard Deacon), is Mr. Cleaver's coworker, and Beaver's father won't have his son stirring up strife. The two families go on a picnic at Friend's Lake, and though Beaver tries to maintain distance from Violet, their parents won't hear of them behaving as anything but dear friends. Mr. Rutherford insists on getting a picture of them together, Beaver with one arm around Violet. Mr. Rutherford asks Violet to kiss Beaver's cheek, and before he can react, Violet has done the awful deed. Beaver runs and hides in the bushes until the picnic is over. At least the incident is behind him...or so he thinks. Palling around the house with his friend Whitey Whitney, Beaver comes across a copy of his father's office magazine, The Weekly Memo, which sports a cover photo of Violet kissing Beaver. What a terrible thing for Mr. Rutherford to do! Whitey vows not to spill the secret to the guys at school, but now Violet seems to be taking an interest in Beaver. What if she's in love with him? Avoiding her at all costs is Beaver's only recourse, but Violet isn't as repulsive as he wants to believe, and he's far from the roughneck she assumes him to be. Could the two of them even be friends? Beaver has years ahead to discern just how he feels about Violet.
Beaver and Wally is a decent book, probably the second-best of this trilogy behind Leave It to Beaver. It doesn't measure up to the cream of the crop for Beverly Cleary—classics like Ramona the Pest, Dear Mr. Henshaw, Strider, and my personal favorite, Ellen Tebbits—but it's a good translation of the television series to the page, retaining the essence of the characters even if it's impossible to convey the show's emotional impact without actually seeing Jerry Mathers, Hugh Beaumont, Tony Dow, and the other actors. I'd likely rate Beaver and Wally two and a half stars; I'm glad an author of Beverly Cleary's caliber wrote a few tie-in books for the television series, but I wonder if the trilogy had more potential if Ms. Cleary had created original stories about Beaver rather than merely adapting episodes. If you love the Leave It to Beaver show or Beverly Cleary, you should read these books. Revisiting classic episodes in a new form is a pleasant trip down memory lane.
In Chuckie's New Shoes, the first Beverly Cleary story based on a season four episode, Beaver escorts little Chuckie Murdock to the shoe store. Mrs. Murdock is paying Wally to do it as a babysitting job, but Wally has somewhere to be, and Beaver could use the money. He soon learns that keeping tabs on Chuckie is a real hassle. On the way to the shoe store, the boy threatens to scream if Beaver doesn't buy him ice cream, and at the store, Chuckie is nearly impossible to corral. Beaver has to purchase a second pair of shoes on Mrs. Murdock's tab just to prevent Chuckie from screaming again, and after finalizing the sale, he can't find the little boy. What will Mrs. Murdock say if Beaver returns without him? Beaver wishes he'd never involved himself in babysitting, but the situation isn't as dire as he fears. All will turn out okay, even if Wally is miffed at Beaver for bungling the job and Mrs. Murdock won't be inclined to trust Wally in the future. It's hard to tell which of the Cleaver boys is at a harder stage of growing up.
Next is Wally's Play, based on the season three episode of the same name. Wally is a fledgling member of a school club called the Crusaders, but is reluctant to participate in their upcoming stage play. The Crusaders is an all-boys club, so some of them have to play girls' roles, but why does Wally have to dress in pink and dance in front of everyone? He would almost rather not be a Crusader, as big an honor as membership is. Mr. Cleaver advises him to accept his part with good humor and enjoy poking fun at himself, but Wally has a different idea: if he can con his friend (and fellow Crusader) Eddie Haskell into swapping parts with him, Wally will be home free. Beaver helps Wally work the con to perfection, but will Wally regret missing this opportunity to embrace the full Crusader experience? Eddie just might get the better end of their swap.
Wally obtains a job in Wally, the Lifeguard, adapted from the season four episode. Friend's Lake needs a Saturday lifeguard, and Wally has the swimming skills to fit the bill. Beaver will be proud to point out his heroic brother to his friends on the beach, but both boys are disappointed when it turns out Wally isn't old enough to be a lifeguard; the man in charge offers to let him sell food and drink as a roving concessionaire, but it's nowhere near as exciting as saving people from drowning. The worst moment comes when Eddie Haskell and Mary Ellen Rogers, the girl that Wally fancies, spot him on the job and laugh at him. The reason Wally wants to earn money is to take Mary Ellen on dates, and he's angry at her attitude. Well, he figures, he can continue making money but not spend any on her if she's going to act that way. Beaver is more often an annoyance than a comfort to Wally, but this time he reminds his older brother that having a job is pretty swell, even if he's not a lifeguard. Having a brother to lift your spirits can be rather nice.
Remaining in season four, we come to Beaver's Accordion. Beaver is intrigued by a mail-in offer that sounds too good to pass up: the Worldwide Academy of Music wants to send him an accordion for a free five-day trial. Beaver could learn to play in a day or two, send it back without any cost, and go on to be a world-famous accordionist. When the squeezebox arrives, however, Beaver is taken aback by its size, weight, and elite craftsmanship. Wally warns him that if Mr. Cleaver finds out Beaver sent away for the instrument, he'll be outraged. There's still time to pack it up and send it back to the Worldwide Academy of Music, but Beaver will need Wally's assistance to ship it before the five-day trial ends. Beaver hasn't always been reliable when Wally needed him, but his big brother even agrees to pay the hefty shipping fee as long as Beaver reimburses him eventually. It's a relief to be rid of the accordion without Mr. Cleaver ever knowing about it, and Beaver is glad he has Wally on his side.
Another season four episode follows, Wally's Glamour Girl. Wally is alarmed that Margaret Benson, a longtime friend of his mother's, is visiting Mayfield with her family. In light of the correspondence by letter that Wally started last summer with Mrs. Benson's teenage daughter, Kitty, arrangements have been made by their parents for Wally to take Kitty to the Mayfield Country Club dance. Wally is unenthusiastic, but Mr. and Mrs. Cleaver insist he follow through on the deal. Later, he admits to Beaver why he doesn't want to take Kitty: he embellished quite a few details of his life in the letters he wrote, portraying his family as wealthy. If Wally doesn't have expensive flowers to give Kitty before the dance, or a fancy mode of transport, he'll be a laughingstock. He could have splurged on a few small luxuries had most of his savings not been spent on shipping Beaver's accordion back to the Worldwide Academy of Music. It seems that Wally is doomed, but he may be surprised by Kitty's reaction to his fabrications. The dance might be more fun than Wally dared hope.
We end with Beaver and Violet, a season three episode that ushers Beaver closer to the precipice of adolescence. It's no secret that he and Judy Hensler aren't fond of each other, but Beaver isn't on much better terms with Violet Rutherford, another girl from school. Mr. Cleaver orders him to treat her civilly, however; her father, Fred (played onscreen by the beloved Richard Deacon), is Mr. Cleaver's coworker, and Beaver's father won't have his son stirring up strife. The two families go on a picnic at Friend's Lake, and though Beaver tries to maintain distance from Violet, their parents won't hear of them behaving as anything but dear friends. Mr. Rutherford insists on getting a picture of them together, Beaver with one arm around Violet. Mr. Rutherford asks Violet to kiss Beaver's cheek, and before he can react, Violet has done the awful deed. Beaver runs and hides in the bushes until the picnic is over. At least the incident is behind him...or so he thinks. Palling around the house with his friend Whitey Whitney, Beaver comes across a copy of his father's office magazine, The Weekly Memo, which sports a cover photo of Violet kissing Beaver. What a terrible thing for Mr. Rutherford to do! Whitey vows not to spill the secret to the guys at school, but now Violet seems to be taking an interest in Beaver. What if she's in love with him? Avoiding her at all costs is Beaver's only recourse, but Violet isn't as repulsive as he wants to believe, and he's far from the roughneck she assumes him to be. Could the two of them even be friends? Beaver has years ahead to discern just how he feels about Violet.
Beaver and Wally is a decent book, probably the second-best of this trilogy behind Leave It to Beaver. It doesn't measure up to the cream of the crop for Beverly Cleary—classics like Ramona the Pest, Dear Mr. Henshaw, Strider, and my personal favorite, Ellen Tebbits—but it's a good translation of the television series to the page, retaining the essence of the characters even if it's impossible to convey the show's emotional impact without actually seeing Jerry Mathers, Hugh Beaumont, Tony Dow, and the other actors. I'd likely rate Beaver and Wally two and a half stars; I'm glad an author of Beverly Cleary's caliber wrote a few tie-in books for the television series, but I wonder if the trilogy had more potential if Ms. Cleary had created original stories about Beaver rather than merely adapting episodes. If you love the Leave It to Beaver show or Beverly Cleary, you should read these books. Revisiting classic episodes in a new form is a pleasant trip down memory lane.
March 1, 2021
Another book based on episodes of Leave It to Beaver, but this one seemed more light-hearted and fun. I got more invested in the boys' adventures. The writing style reminded me more of Cleary's young adult books because a lot of the spotlight was on Wally. I also wonder if Cleary was more comfortable with the project guidelines by the second book and let herself have more fun with it, but that's just speculation.
This book also has illustrations, but I can't find out the artist's name. Credit is given to Cleary and the show's creators, and the copyright is again held by Gomalco Productions.
This book also has illustrations, but I can't find out the artist's name. Credit is given to Cleary and the show's creators, and the copyright is again held by Gomalco Productions.
May 9, 2019
If "Beaver" was my brother. I'd find him painfully annoying. Nice keepsake of the times, though.
October 24, 2022
A Classic Program from the Golden Age of Television
I was surprised to find a "Leave it to Beaver" story book. The children I babysit enjoy these bedtime stories!
I was surprised to find a "Leave it to Beaver" story book. The children I babysit enjoy these bedtime stories!
December 21, 2022
#138 of 140 books pledged to read during 2022
May 25, 2023
I loved the idea of this — a forgotten Beverly Cleary title, featuring characters from a show i grew up watching. However, neither is well served. Beaver and Wally don't work well without Ward & June and Beaver's friends. I also didn't realize how much of "Leave it to Beaver" is communicated through exchanged glances.
Cleary is similarly shackled. These are not her characters, and likely not her plots. These are lovable characters, but they are not presented with the same skill we usually get from her.
Cleary is similarly shackled. These are not her characters, and likely not her plots. These are lovable characters, but they are not presented with the same skill we usually get from her.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews