From award-winning husband and wife team, an unforgettable masterpiece about nature, family, wonder, and the ocean. The lyrical, informative text and stunning art make this a perfect picture book for seasonal promotions, classroom units, and storytime sharing all year round.
LITTLE HOUSES
by Kevin Henkes
illustrated by Laura Dronzek
HarperCollins Children’s Books, April 2022
When a young girl visits her grandparents at the beach, she stays in a little house and walks along the shore gathering seashell s which were once little houses of their own. As she wanders the beach, she wonders about the creatures who used to live in each shell, about the hidden treasures of the sea, and about what it would be like to know the answers to everything. Kevin Henkes’s text features striking imagery, depth of meaning, and a lovely multigenerational relationship. He deftly captures the feeling of wonder and imagination that is fostered by a trip to the shore.
Paired with Laura Dronzek’s lush, saturated paintings, this book will be a true treasure for parents and children and a must have in the classroom.
Kevin Henkes is the author and illustrator of more than fifty critically acclaimed and award-winning picture books, beginning readers, and novels. He is the winner of the American Library Association’s2020 Children’s Literature Legacy Award; he received the Caldecott Medal for Kitten’s First Full Moon in 2005; and Waiting won a Caldecott Honor and Geisel Honor in 2016.
Laura Dronzek is a painter whose work has been exhibited nationally. Her picture books include the acclaimed When Spring Comes, by Kevin Henkes; In the Middle of Fall, by Kevin Henkes; Winter Is Here, by Kevin Henkes; Summer Song, by Kevin Henkes; Birds, by Kevin Henkes; Oh!, by Kevin Henkes; White Is for Blueberry, by George Shannon; Tippy-Toe Chick, Go!, by George Shannon; Moonlight, by Helen V. Griffith; and It Is Night, by Phyllis Rowand. She lives with her family in Madison, Wisconsin.

Hakim is traveling up the mountain to visit his friend Daisy, but the fog is so thick that he can’t see the road ahead. Then an old goat appears out of nowhere and delivers a sinister warning: “Beware! Beware! There are monsters up there!” Hakim trots with caution, until he hears an awful groan, growing closer and closer. And out of the mist comes the strangest creature Hakim has ever seen. . . .
Daisy is new to the garden and just opening her petals to the sun when Rose tells her that she’s just a weed. What’s a weed? Rose explains that weeds aren’t planted on purpose and only get in the way. As Daisy compares herself to other plants in the garden, she begins to feel even worse: she isn’t tall like Sunflower, nor sweet like Strawberry, nor fragrant like Rose. Just as Daisy worries that Rose might be right—that she is a weed after all—a strange and beautiful plant offers a new perspective. Maybe Daisy does have a purpose! And why do others get to decide who she is? This sweet and empowering story shows the inner strength it can take to define ourselves on our own terms, and how supporting one another can help us grow.
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Every superhero has their origin story: a radioactive spider bite turns ordinary teen Peter Parker into Spider-Man, wealthy Tony Stark escapes captivity by building his Iron Man suit, scientist Bruce Banner survives gamma rays only to transform into the Hulk.