Kevin Henkes
When Madison-based children’s author Kevin Henkes learned that he was receiving the 2020 Children’s Literature Legacy Award — the industry’s version of a lifetime achievement Oscar — he was stunned. Sure, the Legacy Award is a big deal, but that wasn’t why he was so shocked. He thought he was too young to be eligible.
“I was completely surprised when I got the call,” says Henkes, 59. “It’s still sinking in. It did make me feel old at first. But when I think about the fact that I’ve been doing this for 40 years, it’s easier to grasp.”
The Legacy Award, previously known as the Wilder Medal, puts Henkes in some pretty heady company. The list of past recipients includes such giants as E. B. White, Maurice
Michelle Corpora
Kevin Henkes
Sendak, Beverly Cleary, Virginia Hamilton and Dr. Seuss. The Legacy is one of a trifecta of major awards bestowed by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association. The others are the Caldecott Medal for illustration and the Newbery Medal for writing. Henkes’ 2004 book Kitten’s First Full Moon earned a Caldecott, and he’s had a couple of works named Honor Books (sort of the silver and bronze medals) in each of those categories.
Originally from Racine, Henkes came here in 1979 to attend UW-Madison, primarily because the university is home to the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC), a non-circulating research library for children’s literature. He’s lived here ever since. Kathleen T. Horning, CCBC’s director, remembers meeting Henkes when he was a sophomore doing a work-study job at the center. Horning believes Henkes’ sustained success has a lot to do with the sheer range of his talent.
“I think what distinguishes Kevin is that he has written board books for young children, he’s written picture books for a variety of ages, he’s written novels for young readers, and he’s also a wonderful illustrator,” Horning says. “It’s very unusual to have someone who’s so talented in all of those aspects of the children’s literature field.”
How does a nearly 60-year-old nab an award usually reserved for those closer to the end of their career and/or life? It helps to get an early start. Leveraging what he learned at CCBC, Henkes ventured to New York at age 19, between his freshman and sophomore years, in search of a publisher. He landed his first book deal on that trip, for All Alone (Greenwillow Books, 1981), and has never looked back.
“The Cooperative Children’s Book Center was instrumental in preparing me for that first trip,” Henkes says. “I looked at books really intensely and tried to figure out which publisher published which kind of book, and where what I was working on might best fit in. That’s how I began my professional life, and it’s the only job I’ve ever had.”
Awards and acclaim notwithstanding, Henkes says he wasn’t planning for a legacy; he was just doing what he loved.
“Forty years sounds like a long time, but for me, those years went by in a flash,” Henkes says. “When I started doing this, I just wanted to be able to write and illustrate books for children, and I’ve been able to do it all these years. That’s what makes me the happiest.”
