Author: -Beverly Cleary
Title: -Dear Mr. Henshaw
Illustrator: - Paul O. Zelinsky
Publisher: - William Morrow and Company
Year: - 1983
Format: -Hard Cover
Genre: -Newbery Medal
Reading Level: - Independent Reader
Interest Level: - Late Elementary
Topics: - Trying new things, express feelings, family problems, giving gifts.
Summary: - Leigh has to move away from his town because his parents got into a divorce. At the new school he has no friends and he writes questions to his teacher Mr. Henshaw and the teacher writes questions back asking him to answer them. He doesn't want to at first but ends up really enjoying this and writes more journals about how he feels. In the mean time he is waiting for his dad to come pick him up in his truck he drives but never comes, he has started a new family with another woman. Mr. Henshaw suggests that he enters himself into a writing contest. He gets honorable mention for his writings. He gets to eat lunch with other authors who like his writings. Kids at school start to like him. His dad finally comes and wants to live with them again but the mom says no. Leigh says that he can keep his dog for company. Leigh goals in life is to be a writer.
Illustrator: - Paul O. Zelinsky
Publisher: - William Morrow and Company
Year: - 1983
Format: -Hard Cover
Genre: -Newbery Medal
Reading Level: - Independent Reader
Interest Level: - Late Elementary
Topics: - Trying new things, express feelings, family problems, giving gifts.
Summary: - Leigh has to move away from his town because his parents got into a divorce. At the new school he has no friends and he writes questions to his teacher Mr. Henshaw and the teacher writes questions back asking him to answer them. He doesn't want to at first but ends up really enjoying this and writes more journals about how he feels. In the mean time he is waiting for his dad to come pick him up in his truck he drives but never comes, he has started a new family with another woman. Mr. Henshaw suggests that he enters himself into a writing contest. He gets honorable mention for his writings. He gets to eat lunch with other authors who like his writings. Kids at school start to like him. His dad finally comes and wants to live with them again but the mom says no. Leigh says that he can keep his dog for company. Leigh goals in life is to be a writer.
Extension Activities: -
Have the students write their own journals of things they would like to express but maybe can't.
If the students are old enough have them write about something that they have went through that was hard for them but they got through it.
