The William Henry Letters

A schoolboy sends news of parties, friends and mishaps to his grandmother. Abby Morton Diaz gives this children's story the loose, talkative shape of correspondence, with an editor introducing the households at Summer Sweeting place. Orchards, a flower-decorated horse and Uncle Jacob's teasing conversation establish the country home behind the boy's accounts of friends, lessons and small troubles.

William Henry writes about a party, a visit with his friend Dorry to Tom Cush's parents, and a straw hat accidentally flattened by Bubby Short. His practical questions about money and pocketknives sit beside affectionate thoughts of his younger sister and copied school compositions. These details make the book appealing for its picture of childhood as a stream of discoveries and negotiations. Readers interested in family stories told through letters will find humor in the boy's candid voice and a steady concern with generosity, friendship and learning to behave.