Dear Mr. Henshaw

How long before he writes back?

Leigh Bott's favorite author since the second grade is Mr. Henshaw. In 6th grade, Henshaw is still his favorite author and he continues to write to him as the new kid in school. Leigh lives with his mom and misses his father who is a cross country trucker. He also is troubled by a lunch thief who steals all the "good stuff" out of his lunch bag every day. When Leigh is assigned a writing assignment, he again turns to Mr. Henshaw whose answers help him more than he ever thought they could. Beverly Cleary brings us Leigh's thoughts first through letters to Mr. Henshaw then through Leigh's Diary in a unique children's novel, Dear Mr. Henshaw.

Teachers: Here are some resources and ideas to help you teach this novel... 

Web Resources:

• Comprehension Questions: This site offers comprehension questions section by section in the novel. The questions are opened in a word document that can serve as a comprehension worksheet. 
• Teaching Plan: This scholastic website offers activities and journal responses that can be used with Dear Mr. Henshaw.

Vocabulary: Here are some words that may need to be pre-taught: mobile home, flatbeds, gondola, potluck, duplex, interstate, postage, loner, broker, halyard, nuisance, snitch, mimeographed, wrath, thief, invention, demonstration.


Activities:

Before Reading: Teach a minilesson on letter writing. At the beginning of the story, Leigh is learning how to write letters and it will help students relate if they too know how to write letters.

During Reading: Have students write a letter to their favorite author like Leigh writes to Mr. Henshaw throughout the novel.

After Reading/Writing: Writing prompt: Predict what you think will happen to Leigh next. How will his relationship with his dad progress? Will he continue to write? Will he ever meet Mr. Henshaw?

Cleary, B. (1983). Dear Mr. Henshaw . New York: Morrow.
Newbery Medal Winner

Happy Reading (&Running) =)