Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary

Cleary, B., & Zelinsky, P. O. (1983). Dear Mr. Henshaw. New York: W. Morrow.

Leigh Botts, the protagonist, is a boy in the second grade who loves to write letters to his favorite author, Boyd Henshaw, until he reaches the sixth grade. In his letters to Mr. Henshaw, Leigh expresses many concerns he is dealing with, such as, his parent’s divorce, moving to a new town, people stealing his lunch, and his rocky relationship with his undependable dad. Leigh and Mr. Henshaw start to form a relationship. Mr. Henshaw encourages Leigh to put his thoughts down in a diary. As he puts his thoughts down in a diary to Mr. Pretend Henshaw, Leigh starts to discover and accept that there are some things he can never change. For example, he cannot change the fact that his parents will never remarry, his dad will always be unreliable, and students in his class will be mean. This book is the first children’s book to talk about divorce. It shows one of the reasons why it is important to share literature with children. “Dear Mr. Henshaw” can help readers see there are people with similar life circumstances, such as divorce, and can relate to Leigh Botts and the struggle he goes through with his parents divorcing. The entire book is written in letter and diary format. Because of the way the book is formatted, it helps draw the reader in, and acquire a better visualization of the emotions Leigh Botts is feeling. If readers enjoyed the relatable book, “Dear Mr. Henshaw”, then they will also enjoy other books by the same author, Beverly Cleary.  Beverly Cleary wrote books that young adults can relate to because of the similar situations her characters are going through.