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Summary
Summary
"Fuzzy goes where I go."
Owen's fuzzy yellow blanket is his favorite possession. Everywhere Owen goes, his blanket goes with him. Upstairs, downstairs, in-between. Inside, outside, upside down. Everywhere! Owen's parents are in despair--soon Owen will begin school, and he can't take Fuzzy with him then. Whatever can be done?
This Caldecott Honor Book will provide reassurance and laughs whether shared at home or during circle time. Every child uses some sort of security object, whether it's a toy, a thumb, or a binky. For those not yet ready to let go and for those who have moved on, here's a story about making compromises that speaks to us all.
Everyone who's ever had a favorite blanket will know exactly how Owen feels!
Author Notes
Kevin Henkes was born in Racine, Wis. in 1960 and graduated from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. One of four children in his family, Henkes grew up with aspirations of being an artist. As a junior in high school, one of Henkes's teachers awakened his interest in writing. Falling in love with both writing and drawing, Henkes realized that he could do both at the same time as a children's book author and illustrator.
At the age of 19, Henkes went to New York City to get his first book, All Alone, published. Since that time, he has written and illustrated dozens of picture books including Chrysanthemum, Protecting Marie, and A Weekend with Wendell. A recurring character in several of Henkes's books is Lily, an outrageous, yet delightful, individualist. Lily finds herself the center of attention in the books Chester's Way, Julius, the Baby of the World, and Lily's Purple Plastic Purse.
A Weekend With Wendell was named Children's Choice Book by the Children's Book Council in 1986. He recieved the Elizabeth Burr Award for Words of Stone in 1993. Owen was named a Caldicott Honor in 1994. The Year of Billy Miller was named a Newbery Honor book in 2014.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
A worthy addition to Henkes's ( Chester's Way ; Julius, the Baby of the World ) impressive, engaging oeuvre, this animated tale takes up the case of a wee mouse's devotion to a no-longer-fuzzy blanket named Fuzzy. Imbued with Henkes's characteristically understated humor, spry text and brightly hued watercolor-and-ink pictures chronicle how Owen's next-door neighbor, Mrs. Tweezers, suggests to Owen's parents a series of ploys to separate their son--who is soon to start school--from Fuzzy. The ingenious mouse foils each attempt, until his resourceful mother stumbles upon ``an absolutely wonderful, positively perfect, especially terrific idea.'' With some snipping and sewing, she transforms the beloved blanket into a batch of very portable handkerchiefs, a stratagem that not only keeps Owen happy but manages to silence the meddling Mrs. Tweezers. Even youngsters unattached to a Fuzzy-like object will feel a kinship with the winningly wily Owen--and parents of the attached may find a useful solution to an age-old dilemma. Ages 3-up. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Owen -- a mouse -- and his yellow baby blanket, which he calls 'Fuzzy,' go everywhere and do everything together. An overly helpful next-door neighbor gives his parents useful tips about how to eliminate the blanket, but Owen foils every plan until his mother transforms Fuzzy into a collection of handkerchiefs. Owen is a great addition to Henkes's many endearing characters. From HORN BOOK 1993, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
/*STARRED REVIEW*/ Ages 2-4. Like the kids in Jessica (1989) and Chrysanthemum (1991), Owen the mouse is a sturdy and vulnerable individual, and he is everychild. This time Henkes' droll, gentle picture book is about the toddler's fierce attachment to his security blanket. Simple, lovely words with pen and watercolor illustrations show and tell us that Owen loves his fuzzy yellow blanket with all his heart. "He carried it. And wore it. And dragged it. He sucked it. And hugged it. And twisted it." Fuzzy likes what Owen likes and bears the proof of it, from chocolate milk to peanut butter. When busybody neighbor Mrs. Tweezers suggests to Owen's parents that Owen is old enough to give up Fuzzy, Owen is terrified, but he outwits all their tricks. The blanket goes where he goes: in the bathtub, at the dinner table, to the dentist. But then comes the crisis: How will he go to school? There's no condescension or sentimentality. With a few simple lines, Henkes can transform Owen's nonchalant play into a shocked stillness, his terror expressed in his wide-staring eyes. Perhaps the most memorable frame of all shows Owen snugly enfolded with his scrappy blanket in the heavy, embracing curves of his bedclothes. Henkes' story takes us into the physical immediacy of a small child's day, and kids will recognize both the screaming anguish and the mischief. (Reviewed Aug. 1993)0688114490Hazel Rochman
Kirkus Review
Owen loves his blanket ``with all his heart.'' ``Fuzzy'' goes where he goes and likes what he likes--``grape juice, chocolate milk...'' Leaning over the back fence, nosy Mrs. Tweezers ``fills his parents in'' on various cures for Owen's affection--the ``Blanket Fairy'' (Fuzzy survives safely inside Owen's pajama pants); the ``vinegar trick'' (Owen finds a new favorite corner to cuddle). Meanwhile, he continues to share every experience, real or fanciful, with his beloved rag until, when it's time to begin school, his understanding mother transforms Fuzzy into handkerchiefs that Owen can carry--and hang onto or politely touch to his nose--wherever he goes. Once again, Henkes's engaging characters are mice, depicted with wonderfully warm humor and subtlety; their gentle negotiations and perfectly tuned dialogue are entirely human. A delectably amusing look at a true first love. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
