Dear Mr. Henshaw: A Newbery Award Winner

Dear Mr. Henshaw is a touching story, kind of a "coming-of-age" tale for an elementary school child. But instead of seeing this tale through a typical narrative, we see this character's growth through letters that he writes to his favorite author, Mr. Henshaw. Cleary does a wonderful job demonstrating that growth, through decisions he makes and, most impressively, small, barely perceptible improvements in his writing. I was quite surprised when Leigh expressed anger first at Mr. Henshaw for being late in answering the ten questions he sent him, and second for Mr. Henshaw asking Leigh to answer ten questions about himself. Leigh went from "Your friend", "Your Best Reader", to "Your Disgusted Reader". One of the things that Mr. Henshaw suggested was that Leigh keep a journal. Leigh did so, and that's where we see the most tremendous growth of his character, as he talks about his feelings about his mom, his dad, and himself. It's a wonderful book for kids, but also a terrific read for adults. Beverly Cleary never disappoints.

"Dear Mr. Henshaw" is mostly a collection of letters a young boy, Leigh Botts, sends to his favorite author, Mr. Boyd Henshaw, over a four-year period. By the 6th grade, Leigh is a regular fan. In his letters, Leigh describes his confusion at home over his parent's divorce and being friendless and picked on at his new school. After receiving some tips about writing from Mr. Henshaw, Leigh soon begins his own diary and learns how cathartic writing can be for him. He even wins a writing contest and meets "a real live author" who congratulates him and encourages him to keep writing.It's no wonder "Dear Mr. Henshaw" won the Newbery Award in 1984. Although an entire book devoted to fan letters and diary entries might not excite some younger readers, Mrs. Cleary somehow makes this book very appealing and relative to children. There are also several illustrations done by Paul O. Zelinksy for those who enjoy drawings and not just writing. I remember reading "Dear Mr. Henshaw" when I was a kid and would highly recommend it to other children around seven and up.

Cleary, Beverly. Dear Mr. Henshaw. Harper Trophy: New York, 1983. DeLuca, Geraldine. " 'Composing a Life': The Diary of Leigh Botts." The Lion and the Unicorn: A Critical Journal of Children's Literature 14:2 (1990): 58-65. Beverly Cleary's novel Dear Mr. Henshaw is about a young boy, Leigh Botts, who begins writing to his favorite author, Mr. Henshaw; because the author doesn't have time to answer such frequent letters, he advises Leigh to keep a diary instead. Leigh continues writing to Mr. Henshaw but keeps most of the letters in a diary instead of mailing them. Over the time that Leigh writes in his diary, he learns about himself and his feelings both toward the people around him and the situations he lives with. The novel seems simple due to its main literary tool, the informal letter, but the message is much more complex and poignant. Many people have seen the powerful effects of journaling, and Leigh Botts's writing is no exception, though he doesn't seem to realize that the writing has helped him overcome some of his troubles. He begins writing to Mr. Henshaw as a school assignment to ask ten questions of an author for a book report. Then, when Mr. Henshaw replies with ten questions of his own for Leigh, Leigh no longer wishes to correspond, but his mother forces him to answer the questions out of courtesy. Some of Mr. Henshaw's questions, such as "What is your family like?" and "Where do you live?" elicit strong feelings about his family situation. Leigh's parents are divorced, and he lives with his mother in a small house with a broken television. His father, a truck driver, took their dog with him and usually neglects to call when he=s promised to. Mr. Henshaw's other questions, "What bothers you?" and "What do you wish?" evoke other feelings about someone continually stealing the "good stuff" from his lunch bag and the fact that his dad never says he misses him or even calls him by his name. The fact that Leigh is writing his thoughts on paper seems to help him through his struggles, even if it is just to vent his anxiety and frustration. Mr. Henshaw's questions help Leigh to focus on some problems in his life that he may have realized but probably otherwise wouldn't have concentrated on without the help of the questions. Some of the first impressive aspects of Leigh's letters to Mr. Henshaw are his honesty and openness about his personal feelings. Even when he writes actual letters to Mr. Henshaw rather than in his diary, Leigh tells him openly about his father and how he feels about his situation. In her article " 'Composing a Life': The Diary of Leigh Botts," Geraldine DeLuca describes the novel as being modeled like the ideas in a book by David Feinstein and Stanley Krippner, entitled Personal Mythology: The Psychology of Your Evolving Self wherein readers are instructed to write a story composed of three parts: a personal memory of a paradise, a time when the paradise is lost, and finally a time when

This book is about a young boy named Leigh Botts who writes letters to an author, Mr. Henshaw. Leigh Botts parents are divorced and he does not get to see his dad too much. Leigh writes in his journal when he does not write to Mr. Henshaw. Leigh's has a dog named Bandit that lives with his Dad. This is a great book that teaches journal writing.