Project One:

L595 – Creating a Rich Learning Environment

Dr. Annette Lamb

IUPUI

March 22, 2003

Janette Fluharty

Author Focus: Kevin Henkes

I have chosen to create an author focus for Kevin Henkes. There are two reasons I’ve chosen Kevin Henkes for my project. First, he is one of the featured authors in our second grade reading series and second graders love his books. Second, my second grade team is using the Four Blocks method of instruction in our Language Arts block this year, and several of us are reading the books Mosaic of Thought and Strategies That Work – comprehension strategies for reading. At there are some lesson ideas incorporating Kevin Henkes’ books with the strategies. Thus, I believe this author focus will serve the needs and interests of both my fellow teachers and my students.

I. About the author:

Kevin Henkes lives in Madison, Wisconsin with his wife, son, and daughter. Mr. Henkes works out of a studio in his home. He has written both novels and picture books. In the picture book category, he has written many “mouse” books including: Julius, The Baby of the World, Chrysanthemum, Shelia Rae, the Brave, Owen, a 1994 Caldecott Honor Book, and many more. For the purposes of this author focus, I will be accenting his “mouse” picture books.

Mr. Henkes became an author-illustrator at the age of nineteen. With portfolio in hand, he flew from Racine, Wisconsin to New York City where he met Susan Hirschman of Greenwillow Books. His first book All Alone, was published in 1987 and he’s been with Greenwillow Books ever since. In the following years, he’s written and illustrated many “mouse” picture books, picture books, and a few novels.

According to Kevin Henkes says, “I also loved books, and the ones I was lucky enough to own were reread, looked at over and over, and regarded with great respect. To me great respect meant that I took them everywhere, and the ones I still own prove it. They’re brimming with all the telltale signs of true love: dog-eared pages, fingerprints on my favorite illustrations, my high crayon lettering, and the faint smell of stale peanut butter on the bindings.” If you looked at the Henkes’ books in my classroom, you would see the author and the books are indeed well loved!

II. The Author Corner

To begin the author study, I would create an author corner spotlighting Kevin Henkes and his “mouse” books. After printing images of Henkes’ characters from his website, I would use the overhead projector to create drawings of these characters. After students color the characters, they would be posted on the bulletin board along with color copies of the covers of his books, a picture and information about the artist, a map indicating where the artist lives, photographs and facts about mice downloaded from the Internet, several stuffed mice, a stuffed Lilly and her purple plastic purse, a big purple felt bag with his books in it, a bag of Lilly’s Nifty Cheese Straws to share with the class, a poster with the song “Wemberly’s New Friend Sing-A-Long” printed on it, and the video Chrysanthemum found at Free time activities such as word searches, bookmarks, mazes, and dot-to-dots would also be placed in the author center.

Sources for background information and for creating the author corner:

  • To download and print color copies of the covers of his “mouse” books, go to
  • To find pictures of his characters and information about the author, go to - suitable for second grade students
  • A list of “mouse” books by Kevin Henkes can be found at this site.
  • A recipe for Lilly’s Nifty Cheese Straws, fun activity pages, songs, puppets, a quiz about Kevin Henkes characters, and more can be found at
  • Photographs of real mice and good background information about the care of mice can be found at this site. Before using illustrations or photographs, please contact the author for permission.
  • The Internet School Media Center’s Kevin Henkes resource page provides biographical information about the author, lesson plans, a bibliography, and resources for several of Henkes’ books including: Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, Chrysanthemum, and more.
  • Harper Collins Children’s Books publishes many of Kevin Henkes’ books. The official Harper Collins Children’s Books website has a link called HarperChildrens.com. This site contains information about the author, story summaries, information about purchasing the book, chapter excerpts, special fun features/activities, and a link to the author’s website. Many free time activities can be found at this site.
  • Carol Hurst’s Children’s Literature Site’s biography page for Kevin Henkes provides background information about his books as well as summaries of some of his work.

III. Strategies That Work and

My second grade team has long enjoyed Mr. Henkes’ books and found them to be excellent sources for lessons on a variety of situations, such as being afraid in new situations, what to do when a new baby joins your family, how to handle being different from others, having a security blanket, etc. Since we’ve started reading Mosaic of Thought and Strategies That Work and have begun using the Four Blocks method, Kevin Henkes’ books have become a valuable component of our teaching strategies. At one of the comprehension strategies discussed is making text-to-text, text-to-self, and text-to-world connections.

Kevin Henkes’ books are suggested for teaching the Connecting Text to Text lessons ( and and his books would also be very appropriate for teaching the Connecting Text to Self lessons ( and ).

IV. Stories:

For this part of my author study, I took my favorite Kevin Henkes books, and searched for activities and resources centered on those books. Summaries of what is available at each link are provided and activity ideas are included where appropriate.

Note:

  • If I reviewed a site and felt it was age appropriate for second grade students to navigate and explore at an independent level, I’ve noted if the site is: suitable for second grade students. Other sites are either appropriate as a teacher resource or would be best explored if the second grade student were paired with an older student or adult.

A.Owen – ages 4-8

Owen loves his yellow blanket and takes it everywhere he goes. His parents try to find ways to help him part with his blanket to no avail. Finally, his mother comes up with the perfect solution.

Target Activities:

  • This link is a Reader’s Theater for Owen. Students could practice reading this reader’s theater in small groups. Then, they could read it for the class. This would be a good chance for students to practice reading expressively.

- suitable for second grade students

Indiana State Standards:

Reading –

2.1.6 Read aloud fluently and accurately with appropriate changes in voice and expression.

Listening and Speaking –

2.7.6 Speak clearly and at an appropriate pace for the type of communication.

Teacher Resources:

  • Review of the book Owen with extension activities by teacher Latresa Bray may be found at this link. These activities are geared towards kindergarten students but could be adapted for second grade children.

B.Chrysanthemum – ages 4-8

Chrysanthemum loves her name until children at school start to tease her about it. Her teacher helps her regain her self-esteem and learn to love her name once again.

Target Activities:

  • This book is good for the beginning of the year when students are getting to know one another. As an after-reading activity, students could visit Parenthood.com to research the meaning of their name. Then, they could use one of the publishing programs to write their name using an interesting font in a large size. Below their name, they would import a photograph of themselves taken with the school digital camera. Then, they would write a paragraph describing what their name means, where their name comes from, whether or not they like their name, why their parent’s chose their name, etc. When finished, they would share their writing with the class, I would make a bulletin board display, and when ready to take the display down, compile their writing into a class book.

- suitable for second grade students

Indiana State Standards:

Writing –

2.4.3 Find ideas for writing stories and descriptions in pictures or books.

2.4.5 Use a computer to draft, revise, and publish writing.

2.5.2 Write a brief description of a familiar object, person, place, or event that: develops a main idea and uses details to support the main idea.

Listening and Speaking –

2.7.6 Speak clearly and at an appropriate pace for the type of communication.

  • This link is a Reader’s Theater for the book Chrysanthemum by Keely Suzanne Brent. Students could practice reading this reader’s theater in small groups. Then, they could read it for the class. This would be a good chance for students to practice reading expressively.

- suitable for second grade students

Indiana State Standards:

Reading –

2.1.6 Read aloud fluently and accurately with appropriate changes in voice and expression.

Listening and Speaking –

2.7.6 Speak clearly and at an appropriate pace for the type of communication.

  • An excellent webquest using Kevin Henkes’ books can be found here. Students follow the steps and create an “All About Me” book, make a life size picture of themselves, and present their work to the class. This project would be a fun one to do with an older book buddy. Students could invite their parents to school to share their “All About Me” books.

- suitable for second grade students

Indiana State Standards:

Writing –

2.4.3 Find ideas for writing stories and descriptions in pictures or books.

2.4.5 Use a computer to draft, revise, and publish writing.

2.5.1 Write brief narratives (stories) based on their experiences that: move through a logical sequence of events.

2.5.2 Write a brief description of a familiar object, person, place, or event that: develops a main idea and uses details to support the main idea.

2.5.6 Write for different purposes and to a specific audience or person.

Listening and Speaking –

2.7.6 Speak clearly and at an appropriate pace for the type of communication.

  • After reading Chrysanthemum, students use Kid Pix to create a project with their name. This project is designed for kindergarten students but would work as an introductory activity to Kid Pix for second graders.

Indiana State Standards:

Writing –

2.4.3 Find ideas for writing stories and descriptions in pictures or books.

2.4.5 Use a computer to draft, revise, and publish writing.

  • Respect – Find Out What It Means to Me is a webquest using the book Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes. This webquest focuses on finding ways to promote mutual respect at Rough and Tumble Elementary. Students will define respect, read Chrysanthemum, observe at recess to find examples of disrespectful behavior, and will work with a group to create an activity that fosters mutual respect among students. This might be an activity the school counselor would want to use with small groups of students who are having difficulty getting along with others.

Indiana State Standards:

Reading –

2.4.3 Find ideas for writing stories and descriptions in pictures or books.

2.4.4 Understand the purposes of various reference materials.

Writing –

2.5.2 Write a brief description of a familiar object, person, place, or event that: develops a main idea and uses details to support the main idea.

2.5.6 Write for different purposes and to a specific audience or person.

Listening and Speaking –

2.7.6 Speak clearly and at an appropriate pace for the type of communication.

Teacher Resources:

  • The Internet School Media Center’s Kevin Henkes resource page provides biographical information about the author, lesson plans, a bibliography, and resources for several of Henkes’ books including: Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse and Chrysanthemum.
  • BookMuse.com provides discussion questions for Chrysanthemum. These questions would be useful as an after-reading activity.
  • A plethora of lesson ideas for Chrysanthemum from the teachers.net Four Blocks ring can be found at this site. This is a nice source since we are using the Four Blocks method this year.
  • There are guided reading lesson ideas for Chrysanthemum from the teachers.net Four Blocks ring at this site. Again, this is a great source since it aligns with the Four Blocks method.
  • Fun extension activities for the book Chrysanthemum are presented by the National Center for Illustrated Children’s Literature at this site. There is an example of cubism in this story. Kevin Henkes created a version of Pablo Picasso’s Demoiselles d’Avignon. Students are encouraged to look for the example and to try some cubism of their own. Depending on your student population, students might also want to see the picture itself at: or for information about cubism see:

C.Lilly’s Purple, Plastic Purse – ages 4-8

Lilly loves everything about school until her teacher takes her new purse away because she’s playing with it. When she tries to get revenge on her teacher it ends up backfiring and she has to find a way to fix her mistake.

Target Activities:

  • Nancy Polette’s Children’s Literature Site features a nice selection of literature guides including one for Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse. She suggests writing a silly song, provides a spelling game, and provides a writing activity. Students would enjoy writing and performing a rhyming silly song. Students could complete the writing activity using one of the school’s publishing programs. They could enter their writing and choose graphics to go with the writing. After sharing their work with the class, the students’ work could be compiled into a class book.

Indiana State Standards:

Reading –

2.1.6 Read aloud fluently and accurately with appropriate changes in voice and expression.

Writing –

2.4.3 Find ideas for writing stories and descriptions in pictures or books.

2.4.5 Use a computer to draft, revise, and publish writing.

2.5.4 Write rhymes and simple poems.

2.5.5 Use descriptive words when writing.

Listening and Speaking –

2.7.6 Speak clearly and at an appropriate pace for the type of communication.

  • Fun activities to go along with Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse including a quiz students can take that assesses how well they comprehended the book can be found at this site. These would be a good after-reading activities.

- suitable for second grade students

Indiana State Standards:

Reading –

2.2.2 State purpose for reading.

2.2.4 Ask and respond to questions to aid comprehension about important elements of informational texts.

  • This link takes the user to an interview with Kevin Henkes written by Alice Cary. Before reading the interview, the students and I would read the following True/False quiz written on a piece of chart paper. We would read the questions and write their predictions. (I wrote all the clues in this quiz as false and included a couple of funny clues just to make it fun.) After reading the article together orally, we would go back and check their predictions and make the statements true. Here are the questions I would use:

True or False

  1. Kevin Henkes grew up in Indiana.
  2. The idea for a Lilly came from Kevin Henkes’ own daughter.
  3. He wrote the story while traveling in a boat.
  4. The first animal character he used was a dog.
  5. He is an only child.
  6. When Kevin Henkes was 19, he flew to Indianapolis to show his portfolio to children’s book publishers.
  7. He has worked with several different publishers over the years.
  8. His wife is a flying trapeze artist.
  9. When he was little boy he didn’t like books and reading.
  10. Second graders think Kevin Henkes writes terrible books.

- suitable for second grade students – I think students could take turns reading paragraphs.

Indiana State Standards:

Reading –

2.1.6 Read aloud fluently and accurately with appropriate changes in voice and expression.

2.2.2 State purpose for reading.

2.2.4 Ask and respond to questions to aid comprehension about important elements of informational texts.

Listening and Speaking –

2.7.6 Speak clearly and at an appropriate pace for the type of communication.

Teacher Resources:

  • Fun extension activities for Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse are presented by the National Center for Illustrated Children’s Literature at this site. Since Lilly loves disguises, it is suggested that students create their own disguises. After making a disguise, students could put it on and write a short story or description of what they would do while wearing a disguise. Or, they could make a mask like their favorite Henkes’ character and write a story pretending to be that character.
  • The Kennedy Center is producing Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse the play. The following link contains a curriculum unit with lessons related to the story.
  • The Internet School Media Center’s Kevin Henkes resource page provides biographical information about the author, lesson plans, a bibliography, and resources for several of Henkes’ books including: Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse and Chrysanthemum.
  • A large variety of cross-curricular activities using the book Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse may be found here.
  • This resource contains ideas for doing a character study of Lilly from Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, Sheila from Sheila Rae, the Brave, and Grace from Amazing Grace. Also contains materials for an author study of Kevin Henkes.

D.Julius, the Baby of the World – ages 4-8

Lilly is jealous of her new brother and makes fun of him until her cousin comes over and starts to make fun of him too. Then, she decides he is the “baby of the world.”