Meet: Kevin Henkes!

Ok, so this was a while ago (February 28th!), but
I MET KEVIN HENKES!
Man oh MAN was it really fun!

First, I was kind of stressed out because I got out of work late (isn’t that always the case when you have somewhere to go?) but I did get there before everything started (whew!)

Kevin read from his new book, “Penny and her song” that he was there to promote. It will be the start of a series of easy readers he is going to write. He said Penny was a name he had wanted to use for a long time and he saved it because it is easy to read so, therefore, perfect for an easy reader!

He drew Penny for us, and talked a lot about his process.
I will talk about some of that here, with pictures of his drawing progression peppered in.

Here we go!

One of the most interesting things I thought he said was that he gets the words perfect before he even starts sketching! He writes by hand, then types the stories on a typewriter and reads them aloud, sometimes while walking so he can get the rhythm exactly right.

Then he gets to work sketching. He does small pencil sketches, breaks up the words and sketches to make the dummy, then goes back and does a finished pencil sketch that he then translates into an ink sketch. Then he makes copies of this ink drawing so he can experiment with different colors while he is using watercolors.

He said his least favorite part is doing the final sketches, because “I’m winding down and I worry that I will never write again.”

He shared some great tips on organization.
He likes to use charts.

He said he makes a chart for what color the clothes have to be and what each character is wearing each day….”you have to remember to change the clothes on the characters is more than one day has passed!”

For chapter books he makes big charts and notes how much time has passed or needs to pass between chapters.

“Books can evolve over time,” he said, “and I try to let it evolve to everything it can be.”

Sometimes he just begins drawing and something happens, but he said he gets a lot of his ideas when he is walking, running, or in the bathtub or shower!

Unlike many authors I’ve heard, he actually answered the question, “What character is your favorite?” He said it is Lily, though he is more like Wemberley or Owen.

Did he always want to be an author and artist?
“I always wanted to be an artist,” he said, “but I also wanted to be a mailman and an olympic runner.”

He started out really young, going to New York City at 19, snagging his publisher, and having his first book published at 20. He has had the same publisher ever since!

Another one of my favorite quotes came when he was talking about his new book, Penny. He says he likes talking about his newest book but is always excited about the next book, because, “I always think the next one will be perfect.”

Well, I think his books are already perfect 🙂

When he’s not working, he said he really likes to work with clay, support his son and daughter in their adventures, help out in the garden (a lot of weeding!) and read a lot of books.

When it was my turn to get my stack of books signed, I talked to him about capoeira, since there is a branch of our school in Madison, WI, where he lives. He said it sounded really fun and he would look into it.

Then I handed him the handmade thank you note I made him.
“I just wanted to thank you for coming today and for all your awesome books,” I told him.
He smiled and said, “Thank you so much. You just made my day.”

That was pretty awesome!

The books I got signed are:
Lily’s Purple Plastic Purse
Chrysanthemum
Kitten’s first full moon
Julius, the baby of the world
and
Olive’s Ocean.

Thanks Hicklebee’s for being an awesome store and bringing in great authors and illustrators!
Until next time, write on and see if any authors are coming to a bookstore near you!
KE