Find your inspiration in 'Everyday Life'

 

“You don't need to have kids to write a good book for kids. I don't want my kids to see themselves in my books. Their lives should be their lives. “ – Kevin Henkes 

Born in Racine, WI on this date in 1960, Henkes is both writer and illustrator of many award-winning children's books.  As illustrator, he won the Caldecott Medal for both Kitten's First Full Moon and Waiting, which also won the coveted Geisel Honor Book Award – only the second time in history that a book has won both prizes.  As a writer, his books Olive's Ocean and The Year of Billy Miller won the coveted Newbery Award.  All told, he has done some 50 books, the most recent being 2023’s The World and Everything in It.

 

Growing up as an avid reader, he said library trips were a family ritual and one he highly recommends.  He started writing as a teenager and his first picture book was accepted for publication when he was just 19 and an art major at the University of Wisconsin. 

 

“I think writers are observers and watchers," Henkes said.  "We always have our ears open and eyes open, so I might see something in everyday life that inspires me. And I think that's probably more than anything else. Everyday life is where I get my inspiration.”