Why did Beverly Clearly write Dear Mr. Henshaw?

Beverly Cleary wrote Dear Mr. Henshaw for a couple of different reasons. One reason was to talk about the social issue of divorce to let kids who are suffering from divorce know that they are not alone. A second reason why she wrote the book was to show kids that they can overcome all sorts of problems, even loneliness, just by thinking positively.In the story, Leigh is very upset by his parents' divorce...

Beverly Cleary wrote Dear Mr. Henshaw for a couple of different reasons. One reason was to talk about the social issue of divorce to let kids who are suffering from divorce know that they are not alone. A second reason why she wrote the book was to show kids that they can overcome all sorts of problems, even loneliness, just by thinking positively.

In the story, Leigh is very upset by his parents' divorce and wants them to get back together. He particularly wants them to get back together because he misses his father and feels cut off from him, especially when he breaks his promises to phone Leigh. As the story progresses, Leigh must come to accept that his parents won't remarry, no matter how much he wants them to. He must also come to understand that, though he feels like his father has forgotten him and no longer loves him, the truth is, his father really does care, which will not change because of the divorce.

Most importantly, he learns to take Mr. Fridley's advice: "You gotta think positively" ("Tuesday, February 6"). Once Leigh begins thinking positively, he finds solutions to his problems. He invents an alarm for his lunchbox. When people learn about his invention and are impressed by it, he comes to realize he's not alone in his problems--everyone at school is being troubled by the lunch thief. His invention also helps him make friends. Thinking positively also helps him to forgive his father and accept both his good and his bad traits.