Kevin Henkes

Growing up, it was always my dream to live within walking distance from a library. (That should tell you a lot about me.) Now I do, which is wonderful, because baby Abigail and I walk over there at least once a week to get children's books. We'll find an author we like and read through them. More and more, I find myself heading for the H section to check out the wonderful work of Kevin Henkes.


  
             
Henkes' children's books have playful illustrations, a nice sense of humor, and a spot-on way of seeing the world from a child's point of view. His books with mice (most famously Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, although there are lots) feature pre-schoolish protagonists, but with a 9-month old I can get away with slightly longer children's books. More recent works, like Old Bear, Little White Rabbit, and the Caldecott-award winning Kitten's First Full Moon are perhaps more geared for younger children. They have a fabulous sense of imagination and wonder. I find myself reaching for these books at bedtime, happy to read them over and over. What a pleasure.