KEVIN HENKES:AN INTRODUCTION

Materials for ChildrenNovember 21, 2014

By Kate Reid

Table of Contents

Brief Biography Books by Kevin

Henkes Novels Picture Books

The Year of Billy Miller Olive’s Ocean Junonia Words of Stone Conclusion

Born 1960 in Racine, Wisconsin Graduated from the University of Wisconsin at Madison

Studied at School of Education’s Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC)

Published first book, All Alone, in 1981 by Greenwillow Books

Writer and illustrator Published 35 picture books and 12 novels Currently lives in Madison, WI with his family “It should be said: Kevin Henkes is a genius” (Handy, 2007). “One of the best writers of contemporary picture books is

Kevin Henkes” (Zalewski, 2009).

Who is Kevin Henkes?

Honors and Awards

Newbery Honor (2014): The Year of Billy Miller

Caldecott Medal (2005): Kitten’s First Full Moon

Newbery Honor (2004): Olive’s Ocean Caldecott Honor (1994): Owen May Hill Arbuthnot Lecturer (2007) Regina Medal (2013)

Novels by Kevin Henkes

The Year of Billy Miller (2013)

2014 Newbery Honor

Junonia (2011)

Bird Lake Moon (2008)

Olive’s Ocean (2003)

2004 Newbery Honor

The Birthday Room (1999)

The Zebra Wall (1988)

Two Under Par (1987)

Picture Books by Kevin Henkes

Little White Rabbit (2011) My Garden (2010) Birds (2009) Illustrated by L. Dronzek Old Bear (2008) A Good Day (2007) So Happy (2005) Illustrated by A.

Lobel A Box of Treats (2004) Kitten’s First Full Moon (2004)

2005 Caldecott Medal Oh! (1999) Illustrated by L. Dronzek Circle Dogs (1998) Illustrated by D.

Yaccarino Good-bye, Curtis (1995) Illustrated

by M. Russo

The Biggest Boy (1995)

Illustrated by N. Tafuri Shhhh (1989) Jessica (1989) Once Around the Block (1987)

Illustrated by V. Chess

Grandpa & Bo (1986) Bailey Goes Camping (1985) Return to Sender (1984) Margaret & Taylor (1983) Clean Enough (1982) All Alone (1981)

Mouse Books by Kevin Henkes

Penny and Her Marble (2013) Penny and Her Doll (2012) Penny and Her Song (2012) Lilly’s Big Day (2006) Lilly’s Chocolate Heart (2003) Julius’s Candy Corn (2003) Wemberly’s Ice-Cream Star

(2003) Owen’s Marshmallow Chick

(2002) Sheila Rae’s Peppermint Stick

(2001) Wemberly Worried (2000) Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse

(1996) Owen (1993)

1994 Caldecott Honor

Chrysanthemum (1991) Julius, Baby of the World

(1990) Chester’s Way (1988) Sheila Rae, the Brave

(1987) A Weekend with Wendell

(1986)

In addition to Henkes’s award-winning and much loved picture books, every library should have at least a few of his novels to share with children. The slides to follow will examine four of his books for older readers.

Novelist for Newbery-Aged Readers

“Books are important and powerful. I truly believe that they can help shape young lives. They can help one learn empathy, increase understanding of other people and ideas in a time in which intolerance is pervasive. They can provide ballast in an unpredictable world. They can also provide escape and be pure fun – no small feat” (Henkes, 2007, p. 23).

“He was and is able to write in an endearing way that captures the wonder, awe, emotions and feelings of children in various situations, and allows adults to relate to and remember what it felt like to experience the world as children” (Kritzler-Egeland, 2012, pp. 103-104).

“Henkes’s gift, or one of them, is that he retains a keen understanding of what those molehills look and feel like when you’re small and powerless and everything around you is fresh, electric and, for the most part, inexplicable” (Handy, 2007).

Words of Stone (1992)

REVIEWS

AWARDS

“Motifs and concrete details add richness and depth to the story. A beautifully written, rich, and tender novel” (Horn Book Guide, n.d.).

“Henkes is a master of the picture book, where he has learned marvels of economy; every sentence here [in Words of Stone] is telling, but never obtrusively so. His characters live, lingering in the memory. An outstanding book, one of the year’s best” (Kirkus Review, 1992).

ALA Notable Children’s Book Horn Book Fanfare Publishers Weekly Best Book School Library Journal Best Book New York Public Library’s 100 Titles for

Reading and Sharing American Booksellers Association “Pick

of the Lists” Library of Congress Children’s Book of

the Year Elizabeth Burr Award (Wisconsin)

Words of Stone: Appeals to Young Readers

Authentic child characters (Blaze and Joselle) “The author’s respect for the complexity of

young people’s lives is apparent in this outstanding novel…” (Noah, 1992).

Respect for the complexities of childhood Genre: contemporary realistic fiction

Realistic setting, plot, and characters

Elegant and readable style True-to-life emotions Themes of the power of friendship and the

comfort and strength derived from family

“Blaze took a deep breath. Summer afternoons on the hill smelled of heat and dirt and grass and weeds and laziness. And – lately – of vigilance, caution, suspense. Blaze felt like an alarm clock just waiting to go off” (Henkes, 2005b, p. 40).

Olive’s Ocean (2003)

REVIEWS

AWARDS

“All of Henkes’s strengths as a fiction writer – economy, grace, humor, respect for his characters, a dramatist’s eye for gesture, and an underlying good-naturedness – are given wonderful play here” (Ellis, 2003).

“Rich characterizations move this compelling novel to its satisfying and emotionally authentic conclusion. Language is carefully formed, sometimes staccato, sometimes, eloquent, and always evocative to create an almost breathtaking pace” (Salvadore, 1992). Newbery Honor Book New York Times Bestseller ALA Notable Children’s Book ALA Best Book for Young Adults Booklist Editors’ Choice “Top of the List” Horn Book Fanfare Publishers Weekly Best Book NY Public Library’s 100 Titles for Reading &

Sharing New York Public Library Books for the Teen

Age Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist

Olive’s Ocean: Young Readers Will Love It

Strong characterization and character development (Martha) “Henkes characters never lack for the inner resilience that comes

from a grounding in the ultimate decency of family. Characters and setting are painted in with the deft strokes of an experienced artist. Few girls will fail to recognize themselves in Martha” (Kirkus Review, 2003).

Age appropriate approach to concepts of death, romance, betrayal, life

Dashes of humor Genre: contemporary realistic fiction

Authentic settings, plot, and characters

Evocative language appealing to the senses Authentic emotions expressed Themes of the security of home and family alongside the

search for independence and maturity

“[Martha] was filled with such love and longing and happiness and sorrow (not bravery, definitely not bravery) that she grabbed her grandmother’s shoulders and squeezed with all her might” (Henkes, 2005a, p. 192).

Junonia (2011)

REVIEWS“Henkes’ deceptively economical language is rich and complex, cognizant of the ways that the world of adults reveals itself to children, aware of the emotional weight of objects” (Kirkus Review, 2011).

“As in his previous novels, Henkes’s omniscient narrator lends an air of detachment to the telling, even as he describes the action and Alice’s feelings. Secondary characters are lightly drawn, descriptions of the island are lyrical, and the conflict is gentle…. [A] quiet, interior novel” (Orlando, School Library Journal, 2011).

“Henkes adopts a formal ‘telling’ voice in his narrative, reassuring if slightly austere. The result is the opposite of a high-concept book, its power not in an overall idea or conflict but in a fully realized, respectful portrait of a childhood milestone” (Ellis, Horn Book Magazine, 2011).

Junonia: A Harder S(h)ell Fully realized lead character, though less likable

(Alice) “Very few writers have such a keen understanding of the

emotional lives of children; here Henkes is at the top of his game” (Kirkus Review, 2011).

Secondary adult characters are less fully developed

Introspective, emotion-driven book Genre: contemporary realistic fiction Respect for young people’s milestones and feelings Figurative language Themes of the security in family, comfort in a

treasured place, accepting others, and the road to independence

“Alice had been thinking that the surface of the water was like glossy, peaked blue-green icing sprinkled with truckloads of sugar. Now, she had to remind herself to breathe. She was dizzy and slightly afraid. Her hands were clenched. What was wrong? This had never happened to her before. She’s always loved the bridge, loved the feeling of being suspended, like a bird between the mainland and the island” (Henkes, 2011, p. 2).

The Year of Billy Miller (2013)

REVIEWS

AWARDS

“Filled with heart, smarts, humor, and a boy-centric p.o.v. that is almost impossible to pin down, Henkes has finally done for the chapter book set what he’s been doing for the picture book readers for years. He’s created a character for the ages.” (Bird, 2013).

“Nuanced and human, this quiet novel takes aim squarely at the everyday difficulties of a specific segment of growing up and finds its mark with tender precision” (Barthelmess, 2013).

“The book’s clear structure, concrete images, and just-challenging-enough vocabulary are smartly attuned to emerging readers, and its warmth, reliable situations, and sympathetic hero give it broad appeal” (PW, 2013).

Newbery Honor Book Horn Book Fanfare ALA Notable Children’s Book School Library Journal Best Book Kirkus Reviews Best Children’s

Book

The Year of Billy Miller: A Homerun Hit

Strong characterization and character development (Billy and Sal)

Filled with humor, insight, and good-naturedness Genre: contemporary realistic fiction

Absolutely authentic settings, mini-adventures, and characters

Beautifully written, well-structured, pitch-perfect imagery “To point out that the writing in this book is superb is akin to

pointing out that the air helps one to breathe. It’s obvious” (Bird, 2013).

Authentic emotions expressed and respected Themes of the security of home and family alongside

the search for confidence

“Explosions like little volcanoes were going off inside him. He felt wonderful. Maybe, he’d never felt better” (Henkes, 2013, p. 229).

Concluding Thoughts

Commonalities in Henkes’s Novels Rich, deep characterization Appreciative insights on the emotional life of children Tone: respectful with doses of humor Well-paced, balance of action with internal thought processes Usually with just enough conflict and action Foreshadowing grabs the readers attention, adds element of

suspense Figurative language, creative and skilled use of literary

devices Importance of grandparents Theme: comfort, love, security in family and home Theme: road to independence and maturity Theme: finding inner strength

Words Used by Reviewers to Describe Kevin Henkes’s Novels

Homes are “reliable, unfailing. People, in real life and in books, go home, whatever and wherever it might be. Home. It’s a likely place…” (Henkes, 2007, p. 24).

Kevin Henkes’s novels give young readers a sanctuary - a home away from home.

“After catching her breath, she opened the front door and stepped into the familiar light of the entryway. Everything was safe here, stamped on her heart: the noises, the smells, the look and feel of each room. And even though she hadn’t gone far or been gone long, she needed to say it, for her own sake, and she did so, loudly: ‘I’m home.’”

Olive’s Ocean, 2005a, p. 217

HO

ME

“Books as shelter. It seems as though books can provide the same basic things a house can: protection. Safety. Comfort. When you’re lost in a book, it doesn’t matter if you’re the most popular kid in class. Or if you’re the smartest. Or the best basketball player. Or if you hate your brother. Or if you’re lonely and filled with a certain despair. What matters is the book and the world it brings you” (Henkes, 2007, pp. 14-15).

For teaching guides and more on Kevin Henkes’s novels, please visit: http://www.kevinhenkes.com/reading/novels/