Most Popular Books by Kevin Henkes

Chrysanthemum loves her name, until she starts going to school and the other children make fun of it.

When Kitten mistakes the full moon for a bowl of milk, she ends up tired, wet, and hungry trying to reach it.

“I like croquet and peanut butter and making my bed.” There is only one way for Chester to do things—his own way. “You definitely have a mind of your own,” said Chester’s mother. “That’s one way to put it,” said Chester’s father. Luckily Chester’s best friend, Wilson, likes doing things just the same way as Chester. When they cut their sandwiches, it''s always diagonally. When they ride their bikes, they always use hand signals. If Chester is hungry, Wilson is too. They''re two of a kind—until indomitable Lilly, who has her own way of doing things, moves into the neighborhood. Because Lilly has her own way of doing things! Written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes, the nationally bestselling and celebrated creator of Lilly''s Purple Plastic Purse, Kitten''s First Full Moon, and Chrysanthemum, Chester''s Way is a classic picture book about friendship for kids ages 3-7. With sweet good humor and charming pictures, the book''s themes of making new friends, accepting others, and trying new things resonate when curled up with a parent or at story time.

Lilly loves everything about school, especially her teacher, but when he asks her to wait a while before showing her new purse, she does something for which she is very sorry later.

There once was a boy, a rabbit, a magic seed, and a book. The boy, who was bored, went looking for something to do. The rabbit, who was curious, explored until he was lost. The seed was thirsty, but soon it grew and grew and grew. And the book? You are holding it in your hands. Turn the pages! It will make you so happy.

"Olive Barstow was dead. She''d been hit by a car on Monroe Street while riding her bicycle weeks ago. That was about all Martha knew." Martha Boyle and Olive Barstow could have been friends. But they weren''t -- and now all that is left are eerie connections between two girls who were in the same grade at school and who both kept the same secret without knowing it. Now Martha can''t stop thinking about Olive. A family summer on Cape Cod should help banish those thoughts; instead, they seep in everywhere. And this year Martha''s routine at her beloved grandmother''s beachside house is complicated by the Manning boys. Jimmy, Tate, Todd, Luke, and Leo. But especially Jimmy. What if, what if, what if, what if? The world can change in a minute.

When you are alone, you can do all sorts of things -- pretend you are tiny (or enormous), hear things other people can''t hear, and see things they can''t see. Being alone is fine -- sometimes. Kevin Henke''s first book makes it clear that he remembers his own childhood and respects that time in others. His remarkable paintings have a life and luminescense that are unforgettable.

Fanny has wanted a dog all her life. For a brief moment her dream came true, but then her father decided the puppy brought too much chaos to his neat, ordered home. Fanny has never been able to forgive him for it. So when Fanny''s father brings home a new, older dog, she''s not sure she can trust him. She reasons that perhaps she shouldn''t get too attached, in case this one is taken from her as well. But how can she help falling in love with the perfect dog?

A sun. A flower. And a lion. With three visual motifs, three colors, and fewer than 200 words, renowned Caldecott Medalist and #1 New York Times-bestseller Kevin Henkes cracks open the wide world and the youngest child’s endless imagination. This irresistible picture book is a must-have for every reader and every family. On a warm morning, a little lion sleeps under a sun that shines so brightly, it looks like a flower. He dreams the flower is as big as the sun. He dreams the flower is a cookie. He lets his imagination soar. Caldecott Medalist Kevin Henkes uses simple shapes, limited colors, and a pitch-perfect text to tell Lion’s story in this transcendent picture book. Sun Flower Lion introduces emerging readers to short chapters, action verbs, and adjectives, while bright illustrations transform simple shapes into something magical. Sun Flower Lion will shine at story time and bedtime and for young children just learning how to read on their own.

Bo was spending the summer with Grandpa. they walked and fished and made thing together. They celebrated Christmas together -- a very special summer Christmas. But best of all, they talked and laughed and talked some more. And when they finally saw the shooting star at the end of the summer, there was no question the their wishes would be the same.

Not just an ordinary birthday... "Two of the things Benjamin Hunter received for his twelfth birthday took him completely by surprise: A room and a letter. The room was from his parents. The letter was from his uncle." Ben was just two years old when he and his uncle, Ian, were last together, so Ben didn''t remember him. And no one in Ben''s family ever talked about the man. Then the letter arrived, changing Ben''s life, and changing his family in unexpected ways. And there was the birthday room... Multiple award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Kevin Henkes brings his insightful, gentle, real-world insight to middle grade novels, including: Billy Miller Makes a Wish Bird Lake Moon The Birthday Room Junonia Olive''s Ocean Protecting Marie Sun & Spoon Sweeping Up the Heart Two Under Par Words of Stone The Year of Billy Miller The Zebra Wall

Sheila Rae, the Brave is a warm, humorous, and loving story of sibling sympathy and support. Just because Sheila Rae is older, she doesn''t always know better! This classic picture book about overcoming fear is written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes, the nationally bestselling and celebrated creator of Lilly''s Purple Plastic Purse, Owen, and Kitten''s First Full Moon. "I am very brave," Sheila Rae said, patting herself on the back. She wasn''t afraid of anything—not thunder, not lightning, not the big black dog at the end of the block. And when she wanted to walk home a new way and Louise wouldn''t, she called her sister a scaredy-cat and set out alone. But all the bravado in the world failed to help when Sheila Rae found herself lost. Luckily, her sister was not far behind. "Children will love it."—School Library Journal

Mr. Slinger has big news. He''s getting married. Married! Lilly has big plans. She''s going to be the flower girl. (Lilly has always wanted to be a flower girl. Even more than a surgeon or a diva or a hairdresser.) But what''s the biggest, the best, the most perfect thing of all? You''re invited to the wedding -- so start reading!

The award-winning, bestselling husband-and-wife team of Kevin Henkes and Laura Dronzek collaborate for the first time since their acclaimed picture book Birds. Before spring comes, the trees are dark sticks, the grass is brown, and the ground is covered in snow. But if you wait, leaves unfurl and flowers blossom, the grass turns green, and the mounds of snow shrink and shrink. Spring brings baby birds, sprouting seeds, rain and mud, and puddles. You can feel it and smell it and hear it—and you can read it! Kevin Henkes uses striking imagery, repetition, and alliteration to introduce basic concepts of language and the changing of the seasons. And Laura Dronzek’s gorgeous, lush paintings show the transformation from quiet, cold winter to the joyful newborn spring. Watch the world transform when spring comes!

If one day buds bloom and birds chirp, and the next day a late snow falls from the sky, is it spring? Will it ever be spring? An evergreen, child-friendly picture book that explores themes of patience, hope, the seasons, and nature by the New York Times bestseller and Caldecott Medalist Kevin Henkes. A flower in the garden down the street. Birds in the sky. Buds on the branches in the park. It must be spring. But wait! What is this icy gust of wind? Why are snowflakes falling from heavy gray clouds? Will it ever be spring? Yes, says the sun. Just be patient. Kevin Henkes, the #1 New York Times bestseller who has been awarded the Caldecott Medal, two Caldecott Honors, two Newbery Honors, two Geisel Honors, the Children’s Literature Lecture Award, and Children’s Literature Legacy Award, among numerous other honors, has created a masterful and classic picture book that combines an evocative call-and-response text with delicate and lovely illustrations. Readers will be left assured that the sun—and spring—will always come again.

The girl in this book grows chocolate rabbits, tomatoes as big as beach balls, flowers that change color, and seashells in her garden. How does your garden grow?

Wemberly worried about everything. Big things. Little things. And things in between. Then it was time for school to start.And Wemberly worried even more. If you ever worry (or know someone who does), this is the book for you.

"A beautifully written, rich, and tender novel.” —The Horn Book (starred review) Blaze Werla is having a routine summer. He spends his days alone, wandering around the hill next door, and his nights awake, avoiding the dreams that haunt him. Then a message appears on the side of the hill and Blaze''s predictable summer suddenly takes a turn toward the mysterious. By the time he meets outgoing Joselle Stark, Blaze finds himself in entirely new territory, where the unexpected seems almost normal. “An outstanding book, one of the year’s best.”—Kirkus Multiple award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Kevin Henkes brings his insightful, gentle, real-world insight to middle grade novels, including: Billy Miller Makes a Wish Bird Lake Moon The Birthday Room Junonia Olive''s Ocean Protecting Marie Sun & Spoon Sweeping Up the Heart Two Under Par Words of Stone The Year of Billy Miller The Zebra Wall

Bo was spending the summer with Grandpa. they walked and fished and made thing together. They celebrated Christmas together -- a very special summer Christmas. But best of all, they talked and laughed and talked some more. And when they finally saw the shooting star at the end of the summer, there was no question the their wishes would be the same.

Spoon Gilmore has been dreaming about his grandmother since her death two months ago, but the dreams are beginning to grow fuzzy and come less and less frequently. Afraid that soon even his memories of her will disappear, he sets out in search of the perfect thing to remember her by. When Spoon finds it, he quietly takes it to his room to cherish privately, making sure that his annoying little sister, Joanie, doesn''t follow him in as usual. But soon Spoon realizes he''s made a big mistake. Will things ever be right without Gram around?