Author Study
Kevin Henkes
By Amy Bonaria
Kevin Henkes’s Childhood
• Kevin Henkes was born on
November 27, 1960 in Racine,
Wisconsin.
• As a child, he enjoyed making
regular trips to the public library
with his parents and siblings.
• Choosing books to check out and
take home was an important ritual
for him that he took very seriously.
Kevin Henkes’s Childhood
• Henkes took a special
interest in the
illustrations of the
books he was
reading.
• Inspired by his
favorite illustrators,
including Crockett
Johnson (who wrote
Harold and the Purple
Crayon) and Garth
Williams (who drew
the famous
illustrations shown at
right), he decided he
wanted to become an
artist.
Kevin Henkes’s Childhood
• Regarding his early love of reading,
Henkes remarked in an interview on
his website, “I wondered about
authors and illustrators back then What did they look like? Where did
they live? Did they have families?
How old were they? - but I never
imagined that one day I would be
one myself” (kevinhenkes.com).
Kevin Henkes’s Adult Life
• Henkes married artist Laura Dronzek in
1985, with whom he collaborated on his
most recent picture book, Birds.
• They have two children, William and
Clara.
• They currently live in Madison,
Wisconsin, which is where a number of
his novels, including Olive’s Ocean and
Blue Lake Moon, take place.
Kevin Henkes’s Education
• In high school, Henkes began
combining his love of drawing
with a newly discovered talent
for writing.
• After receiving encouragement
from one of his teachers, he
began pursuing his dream of
becoming an author and
illustrator.
Kevin Henkes’s Education
• After graduating from high
school, Henkes attended the
University of Wisconsin at
Madison.
• In accordance with his
childhood career aspirations, he
was an art major.
Kevin Henkes’s
Professional Life
• While Henkes was in college, he
decided he didn’t want to wait until
after he graduated to pursue his
dreams.
• When he was 19, he took a
weeklong trip to New York City with
his portfolio in hand to search for a
publisher that liked his work.
Kevin Henkes’s
Professional Life
• Henkes was lucky. He caught
the eye of an editor named
Sarah Hirschman and returned
from his trip with a contract
from Greenwillow Books.
• His first picture book, All Alone,
was published in 1981. Henkes
was just 21 years old.
Kevin Henkes’s
Professional Life
• Since then, Henkes has published
over 30 books with Greenwillow.
• Many of his picture books contain a
cast of mouse characters with a
range of personalities, including the
spirited Lilly, anxious Wemberly,
fearless Sheila Rae, sentimental
Owen, and sensitive
Chrysanthemum.
Kevin Henkes’s Influences
• Henkes’s books portray common
childhood ordeals such as starting
school, being teased, and getting
lost.
• He takes much of his inspiration
from his own experiences growing
up as a sensitive boy in a family of
five children.
Kevin Henkes’s Influences
• For example, Chrysanthemum is about a
girl who is nervous when she starts
school and upset when her classmates
make fun of her unusual name. Henkes
says this was inspired by a time when he
brought flowers to his kindergarten
teacher, only to have them stolen by
older kids on the playground.
• As an author, Henkes is successful in
creating stories with these kinds of
difficult situations that are both honest
and relatable to children but reassuring
at the same time.
Kevin Henkes’s Awards
• Henkes has written an impressive
number of award-winning books
throughout his career.
• His young adult novel Olive’s
Ocean was a Newbery Honor Book
in 2004.
• His picture book Owen was a
Caldecott Honor Book in 1994. In
2005, Kitten’s First Full Moon was
the Caldecott Medal winner.
Kevin Henkes’s Awards
• His books have also won many
less-well-known awards, including
being named to the lists of ALA
Notable Children’s Books, Library of
Congress Best Books of the Year,
School Library Journal Best Books,
and Publisher’s Weekly Best
Children’s Books numerous times
throughout his career.
Kevin Henkes’s Impact on YA
Audience
• Henkes’s novels for young adults are
noted for their realistic portrayal of
events that are common among today’s
young adults and the emotions that tend
to come along with them.
• Publisher’s Weekly noted that Henkes,
“explores family relationships with
breathtaking tenderness” in his novels
(barnesandnoble.com).
Kevin Henkes’s Impact on YA
Audience
• Olive’s Ocean, a 2004 Newbery Honor Book,
tells the story of Martha Boyle, a twelve-yearold girl who receives a surprising gift – a journal
page from Olive Barstow, a dead classmate she
barely knew. Caught off guard by the fact that
Olive wanted to be her friend in spite of them
never having really spoken, Martha spends her
summer trying to figure out how to deal with the
guilt she feels over never being friendly to
Olive. In true Kevin Henkes spirit, Martha grows
up a lot in the process and ultimately finds a
meaningful way to remember the friend she
never got the chance to have.
Kevin Henkes’s Impact on YA
Audience
• Bird Lake Moon, Henkes’s most recent young
adult novel, tells the story of two boys who don’t
expect to spend their summer at Bird Lake. The
first, Mitch Sinclair, goes with his mother to stay
his grandparents’ lake house after his father
abruptly announces that he is moving in with
another woman. The other, Spencer Stone,
comes to visit the lake house his family hasn’t
been to since his older brother Matty drowned
in the lake when he was four. Both boys enjoy
the lake as an escape from the family tragedies
they must both work through before the
summer is over. Their friendship with each
other is part of what helps them work through
their respective feelings.
Kevin Henkes’s Impact on YA
Audience
• Reader praise for Olive’s Ocean (from amazon.com
reader reviews): “This was the greatest book I ever
read. It features a variety of emotions; love, hate,
guilt, friendship, betrayal, rage, happiness, and the
indescribable feeling that comes in when all others
fail.”
• Reader praise for Blue Lake Moon (from
amazon.com reader reviews): “This is a great story
about two boys who come together one summer at
the lake. Both are dealing with tragedies that have
occurred in their lives. Spencer is trying to figure out
about the death of his brother that occurred when
he was little and why no one talks about it. Mitch is
dealing with the recent separation of his parents. A
great look at how they handle the situations and
how they spend time together.”
Kevin Henkes’s Impact on YA
Audience
• Overall, both books are successful in
presenting the adolescent characters’ struggles
with real-life problems in a way that students
are sure to relate to. Both books have a large
amount of potential for their use as
bibliotherapy – Olive’s Ocean for a student
dealing with the death of a friend and Blue Lake
Moon for any student with divorced parents or
one who has experienced a death that was
unexpected in any way. As was written in
Publisher’s Weekly, “Behind each book is a
wide-open heart, one readers can't help but
respond to, that makes all of Henkes's books of
special value to children”
(barnesandnoble.com).
•
Kevin
Henkes’s
Booklist
General Picture Books
(can be really be used
with students of any age,
but intended for children
ages 3 to 7)
– All Alone (1981)
– Clean Enough (1982)
– Margaret and Taylor
(1983)
– Bailey Goes Camping
(1985)
– Grandpa and Bo
(1986)
– Once Around the
Block (1987)
– Jessica (1989)
– Shhhh (1989)
Kevin Henkes’s Booklist
• More General Picture
Books
– The Biggest Boy
(1995)
– Good-bye, Curtis
(1995)
– Circle Dogs (1998)
– Oh! (1999)
– Kitten’s First Full
Moon (2004)
– So Happy! (2005)
– A Good Day (2007)
– Old Bear (2008)
– Birds (2009)
Kevin Henkes’s Booklist
• Mouse Picture Books
(again, can be really
be used with
students of any age,
but intended for
children ages 3 to 7)
– A Weekend with
Wendell (1987)
– Sheila Rae, The
Brave (1987)
– Chester’s Way (1988)
– Julius, the Baby of the
World (1990)
– Chrysanthemum
(1991)
– Owen (1993)
Kevin Henkes’s Booklist
• More Mouse Picture
Books
– Lilly’s Purple Plastic
Purse (1996)
– Wemberly Worried
(2000)
– Sheila Rae’s
Peppermint Stick
(2001)
– Owen’s Marshmallow
Chick (2002)
– Wemberly’s IceCream Star (2003)
– Lilly’s Chocolate
Heart (2003)
– Lilly’s Big Day (2006)
Kevin Henkes’s Booklist
• Novels (good for
young adults ages 11
and up)
– Return to Sender
(1984)
– Two Under Par (1987)
– The Zebra Wall
(1988)
– Words of Stone
(1992)
– Protecting Marie
(1995)
– Sun and Spoon
(1997)
– The Birthday Room
(1999)
– Olive’s Ocean (2003)
References
• Kevin Henkes’s official website
http://www.kevinhenkes.com/
• Kevin Henkes’s biography and
booklist from Barnes and Noble
http://www.barnesandnoble.co
m/writers/writerdetails.asp?cid=
968055
References
• Kevin Henkes’s biography from
Scholastic
http://www2.scholastic.com/bro
wse/contributor.jsp?id=2221
• List of Kevin Henkes’s awards
http://www.education.wisc.edu/c
cbc/authors/henkes/awards.htm