Kevin Henkes
Kevin Henkes
Kevin Henkesis an American writer and illustrator of children's books. As an illustrator he won the Caldecott Medal for Kitten's First Full Moon. Two of his books were Newbery Medal Honor Books, Olive's Ocean in 2004 and The Year of Billy Miller in 2014. His picture book Waiting was named both a 2016 Caldecott Honor Book and a Geisel Honor Book. It was only the second time any author has won that combination of awards...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionChildren's Author
Date of Birth27 November 1960
CityRacine, WI
CountryUnited States of America
I usually do my writing in a very nice room, my studio, which is in the attic of our house in Wisconsin. But the nice thing about writing is that I can do it in many places. So sometimes I'll write in coffee shops.
When I'm writing, I'm creating the story and its character with words. I'm thinking about what the pictures will be like, but I never begin to sketch. The pictures are all in my head.
Whenever I'm writing a book, small details from my life always creep in.
When I was a boy, one of my uncles had a cabin on a lake in Wisconsin. My family went there for parts of three summers, and I loved it!
I like examining the ordinary, and by doing so, one hopefully reveals the extraordinary nature within.
Sometimes all you can do is say, 'Wow.'
I think writers are observers and watchers. 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.
I always craft my words to the point where I think and hope they're perfect before I ever begin sketching.
When I was young, I assumed that authors must have traveled the world or done exotic things in order to tell great stories.
When I work on a novel, I usually have one character and a setting in mind.
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.
I usually know where I want to end up when I begin, but I have no idea how I'm going to get there... I don't write with an outline, and surprises happen on the way, and sometimes it changes.
When I'm drawing, I only do that at home, really, at my drawing table. But writing I could do in other places. So I've written in airports, in hotels, different places.
When I'm writing the text for a book like 'Little White Rabbit,' I read it aloud, alone, in my studio, again and again and again - because the rhythm has to be exactly right. After I get my manuscript to the point where I think it is perfect, I begin to think about what I want the art to look like.