Dear Mr. Blueberry

By Simon James

Book Overview

Whales don't live in ponds--or do they?

"Dear Mr. Blueberry, I love whales very much and I think I saw one in my pond today. Please send me some information on whales."

It's vacation time, so Emily has to write to her teacher to help when she discovers a blue whale living in her pond. Mr. Blueberry answers that she must be mistaken, because whales live in the ocean, not in ponds.

Throughout the summer, Emily and Mr. Blueberry exchange letters, until Emily has a happy surprise to share with her teacher. In the process, Emily learns a lot about whales. And Mr. Blueberry learns even more about imagination, faith, and love.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0689807686
• ISBN13: 9780689807688
• Release Date: June 1996
• Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.28 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 8.3" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 4 to 7 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 2

Customer Reviews

A Sweet Story with Nice Illustrations.

This is a rare book I saw somewhere and bought because I thought it was pretty good for a young age group. I liked the letter-writing format. Mr. Blueberry is polite and factual, answering Eniky’s queries. It is at the 5-6-year-old reading level but short enough and has enough illustrations to be a quick bedtime story. It would make a cute and fast summer storybook to read to a young child on vacation. The paperback is very slim.

A lovely children's book

I've been using this book with my kindergarten and first grade to introduce text illustration. They absolutely love it. I get applause every time I read it. The illustrations are beautiful watercolors inspired by Emily's view of what is going on in her back yard. My favorite part of the book is that readers are not told conclusively whether there was actually a whale in Emily's pond. It preserves a bit of the magic of believing that Arthur the whale was real. A wonderful book for boys and girls.

Excellent Book

I loved this story. My third grade students enjoyed the playful letters between Emily and Mr. Blueberry. We are studying animals in science and they are doing a research project on an animal. We are modeling a writing project after the format of this book. They are writing the letters from both perspectives using the animal they are learning about. They are enjoying being the 'expert' on their animal.

Burnt Bridge Creek Elementary

Do you like to write letters? If you do you should read Dear Mr. Blueberry by Simon James. This is a great story about a little girl named Emily that writes letters back and forth with her teacher. This book has super pictures and some great information about whales. Well, we don't want to give away the story so you'll have to read it and find out what happens! We would recommend this book to someone who likes to write letters and wants some cool information about whales.

Review by Brian...

I liked Dear Mr Blueberry because it was funny and and because a girl is asking her teacher for information about whales. They send letters to each other. Emily finds out that a whale lives in her pond and feeds it bread and cornflakes. She named the whale Arthur. Her teacher tries to convince her that there is not a whale in her pond. I like this book. This is one of my favorite books. I like the pictures a lot. I give this book five stars.

A must read book for every child and teacher

As a substitute teacher, I carry this book to every grade I teach. I use it to introduce a Whale Theme, a Letter Writing Theme, or just for fun. I have shared it with other teachers. Kids love it. It is just a great book for all!!!