Dear Mr. Henshaw

Cleary, B. (1983). Dear Mr. Henshaw. NY: Morrow.

A ten year old boy feels lonely after his parents divorced and had to move away to California.  For a class assignment, he begins writing to his favorite author.  He surprisingly replies and asked him a set of questions that he doesn't want to respond.  Eventually, the boy replies and also follows his advice to start a journal. This leads to positive changes in his life.  

Evaluation Criteria:  Character and Theme

The character of this story goes through many of the problems that young children his age experience. He deals with an internal journey of acceptance and reassurance.  The fact that he is in a new place and feels lonely is a normal feeling for anyone.  The theme of this story can also be related to what many young children go through.  Dealing with a divorce is part of many children's lives.  He wishes his father would come back and would treat him differently, or at least that he would call more often, but he doesn't. This struggle for children of divorce is easily relatable to children who are dealing with or who have dealt with this can find some reassurance with their feelings in this book.

Lesson Ideas:

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/dear-mr-henshaw-teaching-plan