Book
Dear Mr. Henshaw
Written by Beverly Cleary
Illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky
Citation
Cleary, B. (1983). Dear Mr. Henshaw. New York: Avon Books.
Summary
Taking on a letter-writing format, Dear Mr. Henshaw takes the reader through the roller coaster of emotions that a child might feel during and after the traumatic events of his parent's divorce and the usual fall-out that accompanies such a life-changing event. Loneliness, anger, hope, and resolve are evident throughout the book, showing us that the main character, Leigh, is just like each one of us when faced with the mountain to climb of meeting new people and adjusting to a situation we hadn't wanted to be in in the first place. The book ends on a realistic note, making it a superb resource for students who are struggling with a divorce in the family.
Reviews
Publisher's Weekly (August 15, 1994): This amusing, often touching series of letters from Leigh Botts to a children's book author he admires again demonstrates Cleary's right-on perception of a kid's world. Ages 8-12.
Kirkus Review (August 1, 1983): Possibly inspired by the letters Cleary has received as a children's author, this begins with second-grader Leigh Botts' misspelled fan letter to Mr. Henshaw, whose fictitious book itself derives from the old take-off title Forty Ways W. Amuse a Dog. Soon Leigh is in sixth grade and bombarding his still-favorite author with a list of questions to be answered and returned by "next Friday," the day his author report is due. Leigh is disgruntled when Mr. Henshaw's answer comes late, and accompanied by a set of questions for Leigh to answer. He threatens not to, but as "Mom keeps nagging me about your dumb old questions" he finally gets the job done--and through his answers Mr. Henshaw and readers learn that Leigh considers himself "the mediumest boy in school," that his parents have split up, and that he dreams of his truck-driver dad driving him to school "hauling a forty-foot reefer, which would make his outfit add up to eighteen wheels altogether. . . . I guess I wouldn't seem so medium then." Soon Mr. Henshaw recommends keeping a diary (at least partly to get Leigh off his own back) and so the real letters to Mr. Henshaw taper off, with "pretend," unmailed letters (the diary) taking over. . . until Leigh can write "I don't have to pretend to write to Mr. Henshaw anymore. I have learned to say what I think on a piece of paper." Meanwhile Mr. Henshaw offers writing tips, and Leigh, struggling with a story for a school contest, concludes "I think you're right. Maybe I am not ready to write a story." Instead he writes a "true story" about a truck haul with his father in Leigh's real past, and this wins praise from "a real live author" Leigh meets through the school program. Mr. Henshaw has also advised that "a character in a story should solve a problem or change in some way," a standard juvenile-fiction dictum which Cleary herself applies modestly by having Leigh solve his disappearing lunch problem with a burglar-alarmed lunch box--and, more seriously, come to recognize and accept that his father can't be counted on. All of this, in Leigh's simple words, is capably and unobtrusively structured as well as valid and realistic. From the writing tips to the divorced-kid blues, however, it tends to substitute prevailing wisdom for the little jolts of recognition that made the Ramona books so rewarding.
Suggested Use
Because of the letter-writing format of the book, a literary blog would be a perfect activity to culminate the thoughts, feelings, and concepts introduced in Dear Mr. Henshaw. Giving students a chance to interactively blog in response to teacher-led discussions and questions would open the doors of communication, making the hard-to-talk-about aspects of this novel easier to address. Because the teacher would respond to students' blogs, discussions and future questions could be geared toward specific topics brought up by the students.
Impression
I have "known" about this book since I was in elementary school. It was surrounded, even back then, with controversy. I suppose the subject of divorce wasn't something to be spoken of so freely which is such a shame because I can imagine many of my friends would have appreciated hearing what Leigh was going through. I enjoyed this chapter book very much. I appreciated Leigh's honest approach to what was happening in his life. The touch of humor was nice, too, as I'm sure many a child needed a laugh and a break from constantly thinking about what was happening in his life. I would recommend this book to any of my students going through a traumatic event in their life, even with its controversial-ness!
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