Dear Mr. Henshaw

Established in 1922 by the American Library Association, the Newberry Medal, along with the Caldecott Award, is one of the most prestigious and sought-after awards in children’s literature and is awarded each year to an “author of the most distinguished contribution to children’s literature published in America.” Named after John Newberry, an 18th-century British publisher known for writing some of the first works of children’s literature, the award was initially created to inspire authors to write more high-quality books for kids. Over time the award has come to signify a book that accurately represents a child’s experience in America and inspires young readers to broaden their understanding of the world. The first Newberry Award was given to the nonfiction work The Story of Mankind by Hendrik Willem, and early award winners were mostly works of historical fiction and adventure stories. By the 1950s, judges began recognizing works such as The Witch at Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Spears and Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor, which addressed societal issues like racism. Through the 1960s and 1970s, works including Sounder by William H. Armstrong and Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson were recognized for their commitment to exploring complex themes and emotions.

Beverly Cleary, an author committed to depicting realism in her works of children’s fiction, received letters from two separate children requesting that she write a book about divorce. Having no experience on the subject, Cleary felt ill equipped for the task, but her commitment to her readers trumped her feelings of inadequacy and she started writing a book about a child’s view of divorce. Cleary published Dear Mr. Henshaw in 1983, a time when divorce was still a taboo subject for most Americans, and critics and readers alike saw her work as groundbreaking for its attention to this real-life struggle through which so many kids suffer silently. In her Newberry acceptance speech, Cleary spoke of the importance of books in children’s lives, saying, “On the positive side, an increasing number of children write of turning to books for comfort. A girl with four brothers goes to her room and reads whenever she gets mad. Children write of reading when they’re lonely, sad, or afraid” (Wilson, Leigh M. “From Our Bookshelves: ‘Dear Mr. Henshaw’." The Harvard Crimson, 20 Apr. 2021). Through Leigh Botts, Cleary presents a raw and unfiltered view of a child enduring, processing, and healing from the fracturing of his family unit.