Dear Mr. Henshaw facts for kids
First edition
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| Author | Beverly Cleary |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Paul O. Zelinsky |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Young adult |
| Publisher | William Morrow |
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Publication date
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August 1983 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 144 pp |
| ISBN | 0-688-02405-X |
| OCLC | 9371228 |
| LC Class | PZ7.C5792 De 1983 |
| Followed by | Strider |
Dear Mr. Henshaw is a popular book written by Beverly Cleary and illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky. It's a special kind of story called an epistolary novel, which means it's told through letters. This book won the famous Newbery Medal in 1984. Many teachers also think it's one of the top books for children.
Contents
What the Story is About
Leigh's Letters to His Favorite Author
Every school year, a boy named Leigh Botts writes letters to his favorite author, Boyd Henshaw. When Leigh is in 6th grade, his class gets an assignment. They need to write letters to their favorite authors. Leigh sends a list of questions he has for Mr. Henshaw.
Mr. Henshaw writes back to Leigh. He playfully teases Leigh for not doing his own research. Then, Mr. Henshaw sends Leigh a list of questions to answer. At first, Leigh is upset and doesn't want to reply. But when his mom finds out, she tells him he must write back. She wants him to be polite to the author.
Leigh's Challenges and Feelings
As Leigh answers Mr. Henshaw's questions, we learn about his life. He is dealing with his parents' divorce. He also feels lonely because he is new at school. His dad isn't always around, which is hard for Leigh. Plus, someone keeps stealing his lunch at school.
In a later letter, Mr. Henshaw gives Leigh some good advice. He tells Leigh to start keeping a diary. This diary will be a place for Leigh to write down his thoughts and feelings. Leigh eventually feels better about Mr. Henshaw. He starts writing in his new diary, pretending he's writing to a "Mr. Pretend Henshaw."
Learning to Accept Life's Changes
Through writing in his diary, Leigh begins to understand things better. He learns to accept parts of his life he cannot change. He faces problems that many kids experience. These include feeling lonely when you move to a new town. He also learns to handle school assignments.
Leigh realizes his parents will not get back together. He also learns he cannot always rely on his father. He has to find grown-up ways to deal with difficult things. For example, he never finds out who keeps stealing his lunch.
Leigh's Writing Journey
Leigh decides to join the Young Writers club at school. There's a school writing contest, but he struggles to write a story or poem. Instead, he writes about a special memory. It's about a time he and his dad hauled grapes to a factory.
His memory earns him an honorable mention in the school yearbook. Later, it's discovered that another contestant cheated. This means Leigh gets to have lunch with a famous author! Even though it's not Mr. Henshaw, the author praises Leigh's story.
How the Book Came to Be
Beverly Cleary, the author, shared how she got the idea for the book. She said two different boys asked her to write about a boy whose parents were divorced. She had never thought about that topic before. But she decided to "give it a try" and wrote Dear Mr. Henshaw.
