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BOOK: Hopes and dreams
Dear Mr Henshaw by Beverly Cleary, is an extraordinary book. The letters and diary entries of Leigh Botts take us into the world of a sensitive 11-year-old.
Leigh, the book’s main character, begins to write to Mr Henshaw, author of his favourite book, ‘Ways to amuse a dog’, as part of an English assignment. This results in regular correspondence between the two. When the author suggests that Leigh write a diary of his own to practice becoming the writer he aspires to be, Leigh, unable to pen down his thoughts otherwise, resorts to using the heading, “Dear Mr ‘Pretend’ Henshaw”.
Through these intimate imaginary letters and the posted letters to Mr Henshaw the reader is witness to Leigh’s interesting but sometimes miserable life as a child of a single parent. He lives with his mother, but misses his father terribly who rarely calls and almost never comes by to visit. His loneliness in school bothers him too, which is finally purged by his own ingeniousness. One also begins to see his steady growth as a writer springing from his devotion to his diary coupled with a belief that it will help him some day. The book teaches the important lesson that a little perseverance is never a waste of time. It should be a good read for all aspiring writers out there.
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