Illustrator & Author Profile
Kevin Hawkes
12 Books
Kevin Hawkes is an American illustrator and picture-book creator known for warm, detailed, and expressive artwork. He has illustrated beloved books such as Library Lion, Chicken Cheeks, and Sidewalk Circus, along with works by authors including Michelle Knudsen, M. T. Anderson, and Eva Ibbotson. His pictures often bring humor, tenderness, and a strong sense of place to stories for children.
Meet Toddie! He is a baby just like any other baby, except for one tiny detail: he is wicked big. When this giant toddler is born in the quiet state of Maine, everything changes. A regular baby needs regular diapers, but Toddie needs diapers the size of a tent! Taking a bath means splashing around in the actual ocean, and his toys are real life-sized boats. As Toddie goes through his first year, his parents try to keep up with his massive milestones. Get ready to laugh out loud as this towering tot crawls, plays, and gets into giant-sized trouble in his neighborhood.
6-8 Years
42 Pages
The world's largest toddler is taking a bite out of the Big Apple! Toddie and his parents are leaving their quiet home in Maine for a massive family vacation in New York City. Traveling is a bit different when your baby is the size of a building. Toddie can easily pick up a real fire truck to play with, and he even paddles his way over to visit the Statue of Liberty! But the bustling city is crowded, and Toddie accidentally gets separated from his parents. Even though he is a giant, he is still just a baby who misses his ma. Will this towering tot find his way back to his family?
6-8 Years
41 Pages
Step right up to the greatest show on earth, right across the street! While waiting at the bus stop, a young girl discovers that ordinary city life is actually a spectacular circus. If you look closely, you can see tightrope walkers, strongmen, and sword swallowers hiding in plain sight. A clothesline becomes a daring high wire, and a construction worker becomes a mighty strongman. In this incredible wordless adventure, the Garibaldi Circus comes alive through the magic of a child's imagination. You will never look at your own neighborhood the same way again. Are you ready to sharpen your vision and join the fun?
6-8 Years
40 Pages
Making peace is much more fun than picking a fight! It all starts when a brother and sister decide to stop arguing and become friends instead. Soon, this wonderful idea starts to spread. When their family stops squabbling with the noisy neighbors, they decide to play music together instead. Before long, the whole town is marching in a joyful parade! This bouncy, rhyming story shows how a little bit of kindness can travel a long way. Eventually, the parade grows to include the whole country, and even the animals join in. Discover how turning fighters into friends can make the whole world a happier place.
6-8 Years
50 Pages
Living at the very end of the world is perfectly peaceful. A young boy spends his quiet days hunting for treasure with old maps, whistling tunes, and enjoying his beautiful, lonely cliff. He loves his simple life, until a loud businessman named Constantine Shimmer arrives with a big idea. Soon, machines are paving over the wild grass to build a massive amusement park and an inn. Suddenly, the End of the World is packed with tourists and noise! This thoughtful and beautifully illustrated story celebrates the joy of nature, peace, and finding your own quiet corner in a busy world.
6-8 Years
41 Pages
Sometimes the best way to fit in is to find someone who loves exactly who you are. Luigi is a large, hairy spider looking for a dark, quiet corner to spin his webs. But when he creeps into an old house, a sweet lady scoops him up and declares that he is the adorable kitten she has always wanted! At first, Luigi is very confused. But after getting tasty breakfasts and being tucked snugly into bed, he decides that being a kitten is wonderful. He will just have to pretend! How long can a spider keep up the act before his new owner discovers the eight-legged truth?
6-8 Years
43 Pages
Wesley has never quite fit in with the other kids at school. He doesn't like football or pizza, and he definitely doesn't want to spend his summer vacation being bored. After learning that every great civilization needs a staple food crop, he decides to grow his very own world right in his backyard! He plants a mysterious seed that sprouts into towering, magical plants he calls swist. Soon, Wesley is weaving his own clothes, building his own shelter, and inventing his own games. As his amazing backyard kingdom of Weslandia grows, his curious classmates start to wonder if being different is actually the best adventure of all.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
39 Pages
George Frideric Handel was not your average musician! Even as a young boy, he knew exactly what he wanted. When his strict father forbade him from playing music, George bravely smuggled a quiet clavichord into the attic so he could practice in secret. This fascinating and funny true story follows the brilliant composer as he grows into a famous adult who once imported forty-five pounds of mountain snow just to chill drinks for a royal party! Through his incredible triumphs and difficult times, you will discover how a stubborn young boy created some of the most beautiful and famous music the world has ever heard.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
49 Pages
Some bears will do absolutely anything to reach a delicious honeycomb high up in a tree! In this hilarious, laugh-out-loud story, one determined bear decides to build a tower of animals to reach his sweet prize. He stacks a moose, a duck, a flamingo, and more, balancing them one on top of the other. But from the reader's view, you only get to see the backends of these helpful critters! From the tail of a duck to the gluteus maximus of a platypus, you will giggle your way through this wobbly animal pyramid. Follow this wobbly journey to the top and get ready for a wonderful surprise at the end.
6-8 Years
40 Pages
Before Santa belonged to the whole world, he was a very unusual boy growing up in Cincinnati. His first words sounded suspiciously like “ho ho ho,” he loved his stuffed reindeer, and by the time he was small, he already looked as if he might be practicing for a very special job.
His parents try to give him an ordinary childhood, complete with music lessons, baseball, and chores. But Santa’s jolly habits keep shining through. Soon he is making lists, checking them carefully, and finding ways to bring joy to children near and far.
Told with playful humor and a pretend “family scrapbook” feel, this picture book gives young readers a funny, warm origin story for the boy who grew into Santa Claus.
6-8 Years
48 Pages
A lion walks into the library, and nobody knows which rule applies. Miss Merriweather has rules for running, rules for being quiet, and rules for behaving properly among the books. But there are no rules about lions.
This lion turns out to be a careful visitor. He pads quietly through the library, listens at story hour, and becomes a gentle helper to the children and librarians. Still, even the best rule-following lion may face a moment when helping someone matters more than staying quiet.
Library Lion is a warm, memorable picture book about libraries, kindness, and knowing when a rule should bend. With a tender story and expressive illustrations, it is especially appealing for young readers who love animals, books, and gentle classroom read-alouds.
6-8 Years
48 Pages
Mr. Snore just wants a good night's sleep at the busy Sharemore Hotel. But finding some peace and quiet is much harder than he expects! Every room the bellhop shows him has a problem. The first floor is too noisy, the second is too crowded, and the third is too damp. As Mr. Snore climbs higher and higher up the hotel, he keeps running into animal guests that are bound to keep him awake. Will he ever find the perfect room? Maybe he will have better luck on the thirteenth floor! Get ready for a hilarious bedtime adventure filled with silly surprises and a twist you will never see coming.
6-8 Years
39 Pages
