I’ve said this dozens of times: I love epistolary novels. I made a video about a few favourites for World Post Day 2021, I love doing letter-writing activities at workshops, and I hope to publish an epistolary novel some day. I’ve also been waiting to introduce this form of writing to my book clubs and writing programmes, but I’ve struggled to find the right book – until Dear Mr. Henshaw came my way. And unlike Muggie Maggie by the same writer, this one was easy to source, so come April, we’ll be reading this delightful book at my reading programme!
Leigh Botts writes to his favourite author, Boyd Henshaw, and in the beginning, he doesn’t get a reply. Later, he gets a printed response, rather than a handwritten one, which is almost as disappointing. When he is in the sixth grade, however, he receives a proper letter, which he needs for his author report, and this is the beginning of a funny, moving series of letters he writes about himself, his school and family. As we read Leigh’s letters, we get to know not just him but Mr. Henshaw too. I love it!
Questions
The questions Leigh asks Mr. Henshaw set the ball rolling, and this will lead us to our first activity with the book. If the children had to write an author report, what questions would they ask? And if they don’t like the responses they receive, what will they do?
Taking this idea further, I would love for the children to write to their favourite writers and see whether they receive replies!
Other Scenarios
Even if the children haven’t read The Diary of a Young Girl, most have heard of Anne Frank. Using Dear Mr. Henshaw, Anne’s diary and a few others, I would love for the children to come up with other scenarios in which a story in the form of letters could work. Why would two characters write to each other? And how would the story progress?
Letters
At my writing programme for ages nine and ten, one class every two weeks is devoted to writing. Naturally, as we read Dear Mr. Henshaw, we will write letters. This time, I would love for the children to write real letters to one another and post them too. I’ll guide them through a little letter-writing activity, following which I will encourage them to write whatever they want. Each time I work with letters, I realise that many children have no idea what a stamp is or what purpose a letterbox serves. And that makes the whole process even more fun!
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