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Why does Leigh read Moose on Toast in Beverly Cleary's Dear Mr. Henshaw?

In the opening letters Leigh Botts writes to the author Mr. Henshaw in Beverly Cleary's Dr. Mr. Henshaw, we learn that Leigh first learned about Henshaw's book How To Amuse a Dog when his second-grade teacher read it to his class. In the third grade, Leigh reads it for himself and is so fond of the book that, for the next two school years, Leigh uses the book to fulfill class assignments, including making a diorama of the book in the fourth grade and writing a book report in the fifth grade. Since Leigh has not been reading anything other than How to Amuse a Dog, it is in the fifth grade that Leigh receives a letter from Mr. Henshaw suggesting that Leigh read a new book written by Mr. Henshaw, which is Moose on Toast.

We learn that Mr. Henshaw suggested Leigh read a new book when, in his letter dated November 7, Leigh responds to Mr. Henshaw, saying, "I got your letter and did what you said. I read a different book by you. I read Moose on Toast." Leigh says he liked it almost as much as Ways to Amuse a Dog. He especially thought it was funny that the boy's mother in the story needed to figure out enough ways to cook moose to get through 1,000 pounds of moose meat. However, it's clear that Leigh prefers Ways to Amuse a Dog because he can relate to the story more.

Leigh can relate to the dog story more because he has his own dog named Bandit, and Bandit howls when he hears singing, just like the dog in the story. In contrast, Leigh cannot relate to the moose story because he is uncomfortable with the idea of hunting. But, he pacifies himself by thinking that, since there are so many moose in Alaska, the father in the story was justified in shooting the moose if the family "needed it for for food."

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