Meet Kevin Henkes

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Meet Kevin Henkes
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Kevin Henkes
Kevin Henkes was born on November 27 1960. He
grew up in Wisconsin, where he still lives today.
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Kevin Henkes

• He liked to draw, read and reread books when he
  was young.
• "I remember drawing at a very young age. I loved
  it.  My parents and teachers told me I was good
  at it - and that made me love it all the more."  

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Kevin Henkes
As a child, Kevin went to the public library
every two weeks. He still owns some of his
childhood books! Some of his favorite books as a
child were
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Kevin Henkes
Henkes was the fourth of five children. For six
years he was the baby of the family. No, he
didn't torment his youngest sibling as Lilly does
Julius, but he says he clearly remembers feeling
jealous of the new baby.
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Kevin Henkes
Kevin Henkes published his first book when he was
only 19 years old! He has published over 30
books!
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Kevin Henkes
Kevin Henkes is married to Laura, a painter, and
they have two children, Will and Clara. "He
reads to them each day at breakfast and at
bedtime He and his wife read three books to
each child every night one-on-one.
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Kevin Henkes
As an adult Kevin Henkes reads every night before
he goes to bed.
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Kevin Henkes

• Henkes' fondness for mice as characters doesn't
  stem from personal experience. He has never had a
  pet mouse, only uninvited house mice!

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Kevin Henkes

• Look at his mouse characters. Can you tell how
  they are feeling?

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Kevin Henkes
Kevin Henkes has drawn many mice as characters.
Sometimes, he uses the mices tails to show
how they feel.
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Kevin Henkes
Look at the tail on Owens mom. She has a good
idea.
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Kevin Henkes
Look at Lillys tail. She knows she made a
mistake.
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Kevin Henkes
How do you think Chrysanthemum is feeling? How
can you tell?
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Caldecott Honor Medal Owen, 1994
Kevin Henkes
Newbery Honor Medal Olives Ocean, 2003
written for older children.
Caldecott Medal for his picture book Kittens
First Full Moon, 2005
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Kevin Henkes
Lillys Purple Plastic Purse is still his best
seller! Lilly is his most popular character! Do
you know in which books Lilly appears?
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Kevin Henkes
Lilly makes her first appearance in Chesters
Way. I had a story about two boys, and I wanted
to shake up their friendship somehow. It just
seemed right that the new person would be a girl.
So that is why Lilly happened the way she
happened. And one could make the case that
Lilly is a female Wendell.
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Kevin Henkes

• "It's amazing how certain things in everyday life
  can turn into a book, and the people who inspired
  it never know it."
• Such was the case with
• Lilly's Purple Plastic
  Purse.

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Kevin Henkes

• Kevin Henkes started writing in high school
  because he was encouraged by a teacher. Now he
  says that the words always come first and then
  the pictures.

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Kevin Henkes
Today Kevin Henkes writes and draws in his office
which is a bedroom in his house.
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Kevin Henkes
Is there any bit of Kevin Henkes in Lilly? Not
very much! Maybe the me I wish I were... Im
probably her opposite. Shes much more out there.
I was a very shy kid. I wish I could be as open
and bold as she is, but thats not me. So which
characters do you think are the most like the
author?
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Kevin Henkes
I've been a worrier all of my life. I think it's
because I've been an artist all my life--a good
imagination can be deadly to a worrier because
you imagine all the terrible things that can
happen and that is me. I still am a worrier.
Hence, we have Wemberly!
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Kevin Henkes
Do you remember what your
first day of kindergarten was
like? I remember being terrified. I did not
like kindergarten at all. It was a huge
adjustment for me. I was always very comfortable
being home, drawing, comfortable in my family,
comfortable in my neighborhood. But making the
leap from that to school was a huge one for me.
Lilly probably loved school from the minute she
went, but Owen... I think it was probably a
harder transition for him. So do you think
Henkes used his own experiences to write Wemberly
Worried?
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Kevin Henkes
Everyone has story to tell. If you want to
write, look at your own personal experiences.
Dont worry about creating masterpieces. Dont
worry if your work is not perfect. Rewrite and
keep on working enjoy what you are doing. Have
fun!
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Kevin Henkes




     
     
Other Kevin Henkes books!
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Kevin Henkes
The End