Kevin Henkes is an award-winning children's picture book author and illustrator. I chose Kevin Henkes for my second author study because I have been in classrooms where the teacher has used one of his books. In my Pre-k classroom this semester, my teacher read Chrysanthemum to the students throughout the day. While observing I noticed the colorful illustrations, child-friendly language, and emphasis on emotions. I love the illustrations in Kevin Henkes books because they are colorful and there are diverse formats of the illustrations in each book. I had seen and heard of these books before this semester, but I loved how the children responded to the book. The children in the classroom could relate to the character and what she was going through at school, which is essential when teaching children. The characters in Kevin Henke's books experience situations that are real and relatable to children. The books also relates to emotions and feelings, which children understand and can actually experience while reading. While talking with my Pre-k teacher, Mrs. Converse, she said that she wished she would have known about Kevin Henkes and his books before she became a teacher. This interested and motivated me to explore and research more on Kevin Henkes and his books. Also, I did my first author study on Mary Pope Osborne, who writes more chapter books and series, so I wanted to learn more about a great picture book author/illustrator.
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