Every Mouse Needs Cheese: A Kevin Henkes Webquest

Kevin Henkes is a famous author who wrote lots of fun books about mice. Your job as a class is to find out about him and his books. You will share what you found at a Mouse Party! with a younger class at your school. In order to get the party ready, you need to collect the cheese. Because after all, every mouse needs cheese - especially at a party!

Get that Cheese!

1. Go to http://www.kevinhenkes.com/books/mouse.asp and read about all of Kevin Henkes' mouse books. The books that say Look Inside! link to amazon.com where you can get a sneak peek of parts of the book.

   • Chester's Way Look Inside!
   • Chrysanthemum Look Inside!
   • Julius, the Baby of the World Look Inside!
   • Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse Look Inside!
   • Owen Look Inside!
   • Owen's Marshmallow Chick Look Inside!
   • Sheila Rae, the Brave Look Inside!
   • Sheila Rae's Peppermint Stick Look Inside!
   • A Weekend with Wendell Look Inside!
   • Wemberly Worried Look Inside!
   • Wemberly's Ice-Cream Star

   Divide the class into groups. Each group will read one of the books and then make a Power Point presentation about your favorite character.

2. Play Sheila Rae, the Brave on CD-ROM and then read the book.

   OR

   A theater in Washington, D.C. is performing Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse as a play! Read all about it here (be sure to listen to the sound effects!) and then read the book.
   
   

   Which version would little kids would like to use? Divide the class in four groups and have each side tell why their version (CD-ROM vs. book, or play vs. book) is more fun.

3. Read Kevin Henke's biography at KidsRead.com.

   Show off your skills as an illustrator. Use Kid Pix to draw your favorite picture from one of the books.

4. Every mouse needs cheese, right?

   Make some of the refeshments found at http://www.kevinhenkes.com/meet/fun.asp, like Lilly's Luscious Cheese Bites or Mr. Slinger's Cheese Crispies.

Wow! You've learned quite a lot about Mr. Henkes and his books. You're ready to party!

Now you will be the teachers and show the little kids what you've learned. Remember, you need to make it fun!

Mouse Party!

Bring the treats you made, the songs on the Sheila Rae, the Brave CD-ROM (plus a portable CD player to play them!), and your great ideas to share at your Mouse Party! Remember to bring a camera - and say cheese!

Other Resources

Web sites: Kevin Henkes http://www.kevinhenkes.com Printable worksheets from Harper Children's http://www.harperchildrens.com/hch/picture/series/lilly/
Kevin Henkes' chapter books: (Chapter excerpts from most of the novels can be found at http://www.kevinhenkes.com/books/novels.asp). All Alone, 2003. The Birthday Room, 2001. Protecting Marie, 1996. Sun & Spoon, 1998. Two Under Par, 1997. Words of Stone, 1993. The Zebra Wall, 1998.	Kevin Henkes' picture books: Bailey Goes Camping, 1997. The Biggest Boy, 1998. Circle Dogs, 2001. Jessica, 1998. Oh!, 1999.
Teacher Resources: Teaching With Favorite Kevin Henkes Books: Creative, Skill-Building Activities for Exploring the Themes in These Popular Books by Immacula Rhodes, 2002. Talking With Artists, Volume 2 by Pat Cummings, 1995.	Other Resources: Chrysanthemum and More Kevin Henkes Stories DVD, 2002.

This Webquest was created by Sara Patalita on 6/20/03 for a graduate class at IUPUI.