Kevin Henkes Author Study

Kevin Henkes is a Caldecott Medal winning author of dozens of adorable picture books. Best suited for children in grades 1 and 2, Kevin Henkes cute tales make for a great author study. Use these librarian created lesson ideas to do your own Kevin Henkes author study.

About the Author: Kevin Henkes became an author-illustrator when he was just 19 years old. He moved from Wisconsin to New York City with a portfolio ready to present to publishers. Henkes published his first picture book in 1981. He has since published dozens of picture books and many chapter books as well.

Best Books. Kevin Henkes is known for many great picture books, perhaps the most recognizable being Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse. Henkes has other similar books starring adorably illustrated mice including Owen, Julius the Baby of the World, Chrysanthemum, and Sheila Rae, The Brave. Henkes won the Caldecott Medal for his picture book Kitten's First Full Moon. While these are probably the most well-known and beloved of Kevin Henkes books, he has dozens of others to choose from to create a great Kevin Henkes author study.

Learning Activities. Kevin Henkes website is a great place to show children what the author looks like and introduce them to his many books. He explains the inspiration behind each book which can be inspiring and exciting for young aspiring writers and illustrators. Additionally, many of the books on Kevin Henkes' website include links to coloring sheets, dot-to-dot puzzles, and word searches.

A great activity using Wemberly Worried is to create a worry list. Poor Wemberly worries about everything, a personality trait that many kids (and teachers and parents) can easily relate to. Using the printable worksheet from the website at http://www.kevinhenkes.com/images/fun/print/worry_list.jpg, children list some worries. They may discover that their worries aren't really worth worrying about at all!

A great activity to go along with Chrysanthemum is to discuss your child's name with him. Explain why you chose it, where it came from, and what it means. Students at school can do the same thing. They can use an internet search to discover the real meaning of their names and discuss how their names came to be with their parents. This is a great self-discovery activity and helps students get to know each other.

Kevin Henkesis a fantastic author for children in K-2^nd grade to student. His adorable illustrations and books with great teaching points make for an excellent author study.

Resource: www.kevinhenkes.com