Kevin Henkes (born November 27, 1960) is an American writer and illustrator of children's books.

[5] Kevin Henkes (pronounced HANK-us[6]) thought he would be an artist until his junior year of high school when one of his teachers encouraged him in his writing efforts.

Henkes writes and illustrates children's picture books, many of which feature mice as their main characters.

Henkes has written and illustrated around fifty critically acclaimed and award-winning picture books, early readers, and novels in his career thus far.

[10] Henkes and his wife, Laura Dronzek, have been collaborating on a series of picture books based on the four seasons.

In 2007, Henkes delivered the Arbuthnot Honor Lecture, an honor bestowed upon "an individual of distinction in the field of children’s literature ... chosen to write and deliver a lecture that will make a significant contribution to the world of children’s literature.

[15] In 2009, he was a finalist for the Astrid Lindgren Prize[16] and won the Jeremiah Ludington Award, which honors "an individual who has made a significant contribution to the paperback book business.

In 2017, the American Booksellers Association inducted Kitten's First Full Moon into their Picture Book Hall of Fame.

[21][20] The Horn Book has included many of Henkes's other books on their lists of the best children's books of the year: Jessica (1989), Julius, the Baby of the World (1990), Chrysanthemum (1991), Words of Stone (1992), Owen (1993), Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse (1996), Olive’s Ocean (2003), A Good Day (2007), Old Bear (2008), Birds (2009), Penny and Her Doll (2012), Penny and Her Marble (2013), Waiting (2015), Egg (2017), A Parade of Elephants (2018), Penny and Her Sled (2019), Billy Miller Makes a Wish (2021), and Oh, Sal (2022).