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Little Houses
From award-winning and bestselling author Kevin Henkes and the acclaimed painter Laura Dronzek, Little Houses is an unforgettable masterpiece about nature, family, wonder, and the ocean. The lyrical writing and stunning paintings make this a great choice for family sharing and for story times all year round.
When a young girl visits her grandparents at the beach, she stays in a little house and walks along the shore gathering seashells—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 the mysteries of the world.
Kevin Henkes’s text features striking imagery, depth of emotion, and a lovely multigenerational relationship. He deftly captures the feeling of wonder and imagination that is fostered by a trip to the shore. Laura Dronzek’s lush, saturated paintings make this book a true treasure for parents and children, and a must-have for the classroom.
When a young girl visits her grandparents at the beach, she stays in a little house and walks along the shore gathering seashells—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 the mysteries of the world.
Kevin Henkes’s text features striking imagery, depth of emotion, and a lovely multigenerational relationship. He deftly captures the feeling of wonder and imagination that is fostered by a trip to the shore. Laura Dronzek’s lush, saturated paintings make this book a true treasure for parents and children, and a must-have for the classroom.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published May 24, 2022
About the author
Kevin Henkes
151 books1,250 followersKevin Henkes is an American writer and illustrator of children's books. As an illustrator he won the Caldecott Medal for Kitten's First Full Moon (2004). Two of his books were Newbery Medal Honor Books, Olive's Ocean in 2004 and The Year of Billy Miller in 2014. His picture book Waiting was named both a 2016 Caldecott Honor Book and a Geisel Honor Book. It was only the second time any author has won that combination of awards.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
August 6, 2022
I loved the illustrations is this book. I didn’t like the story as well. When it says someday the girl will know everything?! I don’t even understand that. What I did enjoy about the story is it reminded me of my couple of times a month trips to San Francisco’s ocean beach the year I was four years old and how I looked for shells and brought some home. I appreciated the message of taking only empty shells, and I do really like the text on the very last page of this book.
5 stars for the illustrations. 2 stars for the story. 3-1/2 stars
5 stars for the illustrations. 2 stars for the story. 3-1/2 stars
June 27, 2022
I love the idea of seashells as "little houses" and the little girl imagining about the creatures that lives in them, and other creatures of the sea, as well as seeing her time at the ocean as a time to wonder and ponder and dream but it just felt a little too adult-minded, somehow and it had kind of a melancholy feel that I wasn't expecting. For example, thinking of lost toys in the ocean that people have cried over. Or imagining the former resident of the empty shell is a ghost inside making sound you hear when you put the shell. I could see lots of people loving this, and I generally am a big Henkes fan, so maybe it was just my mood.
June 3, 2022
Is there anyone else who can ask big questions in such a child friendly way better than Kevin Henkes? He really is a master of the slow, gentle picture book that follows the mindset and thoughts of a child. Following the season books, illustrated Laura Dronzek, the married duo is back again at creating magic, this time about time at the beach.
There's a moment when the main character mentions how her grandmother said something and while she didn't understand what he said exactly, she nodded along anyway. See what I mean about Henkes understanding children? He acknowledges that some things grown ups say may be difficult, but they are still interesting and important and that the child's own wonderings are just as meaningful.
Dronzek's illustrations are lush and beautiful, offering varying shades of blue along the beach, under the water, and as a storm rolls in.
Ending with musings about the little houses all around us, this quiet picture book is wonderful beach reading for all ages.
There's a moment when the main character mentions how her grandmother said something and while she didn't understand what he said exactly, she nodded along anyway. See what I mean about Henkes understanding children? He acknowledges that some things grown ups say may be difficult, but they are still interesting and important and that the child's own wonderings are just as meaningful.
Dronzek's illustrations are lush and beautiful, offering varying shades of blue along the beach, under the water, and as a storm rolls in.
Ending with musings about the little houses all around us, this quiet picture book is wonderful beach reading for all ages.
July 6, 2022
I very much enjoyed this gentle, lyrical book about a girl wondering about and appreciating the ocean and all of its mysteries. I loved that there was a little humane message included--the child's grandmother reminds her that seashells are "little houses" for some creatures and they only collect the empty ones. That's a kind, ecologically-friendly little action that everyone can take when we visit the seashore.
January 21, 2023
What an amazing book!
There is so much to unpack here. We have a book about a child visiting their grandparents while staying in a tiny little house on the beach. Then they go and find even smaller houses on the beach in the seashells which are washed up by the tide. The ideas and concepts here of what's under the ocean and all the things we don't know but hope we will someday makes me smile. I love the wisdom of the grandparents and the idea of bringing a little house home at night to keep.
What about this final line resonates so perfectly? It just does. I'm loving this book and want to find a copy to have for myself. Someday maybe I can stay in a little house on the beach and enjoy this book there, with the sea and the sand. It would be the perfect story to share with someone special.
There is so much to unpack here. We have a book about a child visiting their grandparents while staying in a tiny little house on the beach. Then they go and find even smaller houses on the beach in the seashells which are washed up by the tide. The ideas and concepts here of what's under the ocean and all the things we don't know but hope we will someday makes me smile. I love the wisdom of the grandparents and the idea of bringing a little house home at night to keep.
A house
in a house
in the world
What about this final line resonates so perfectly? It just does. I'm loving this book and want to find a copy to have for myself. Someday maybe I can stay in a little house on the beach and enjoy this book there, with the sea and the sand. It would be the perfect story to share with someone special.
November 2, 2022
These five stars are not just for this wonderful beach book, but for ALL the books Kevin Henkes and Laura Dronzek have been producing. In a world of plug ugly computer drawn art and didactic story telling that isn't worth the paper it's printed on, they are creating the sort of timeless picture books that kids will love for generations.
August 30, 2023
While the illustrations of this book were absolutely beautiful, the kiddos were kind of confused and spooked out by this book, and people ‘living’ in the shells. We ended up talking more about what we saw on the pages rather than what the book was saying.
June 23, 2022
A little gi wanders a beach looking for shells and wonders about the ocean they came from.
July 13, 2022
This book has such a melancholy tone, I really like it! TALK
March 5, 2025
In most picture books illustrated by Laura Dronzek for her husband, Kevin Henkes, I can easily tell the artwork isn't his. The distinction isn't as easy in Little Houses; many images could just as well come from Henkes's unique drawing touch. A girl visits her grandparents at their home by the beach, and marvels at this unsullied patch of the world. What will she find today?
The steady waves seem to whisper her name. She and Grandma scour the shore for shells of delightful shape and color. Each was a tiny house for an aquatic creature. The girl ponders the vast array of life underwater, from massive beasts to tiny flitting fish. So much on the sea floor was never even alive, such as lost human objects. The girl is curious about science, geography, philosophy, every area of study under the sun, and she takes home a shell to place on her bedside as reminder of all the possibilities for learning about the world and her place in it.
Wherever fate takes you, be curious then and there. Curiosity is the tinder spark that draws others to you. Find passion in simple things others ignore, and you'll always have something to increase your shareholder status in the world. I rate Little Houses two and a half stars; it's crafted with fondness for the hearts of young explorers.
The steady waves seem to whisper her name. She and Grandma scour the shore for shells of delightful shape and color. Each was a tiny house for an aquatic creature. The girl ponders the vast array of life underwater, from massive beasts to tiny flitting fish. So much on the sea floor was never even alive, such as lost human objects. The girl is curious about science, geography, philosophy, every area of study under the sun, and she takes home a shell to place on her bedside as reminder of all the possibilities for learning about the world and her place in it.
Wherever fate takes you, be curious then and there. Curiosity is the tinder spark that draws others to you. Find passion in simple things others ignore, and you'll always have something to increase your shareholder status in the world. I rate Little Houses two and a half stars; it's crafted with fondness for the hearts of young explorers.
January 28, 2023
With a gentle lyrical voice and subtle, natural illustrations this is a book of concept and comfort, curiosity and calm. Could spark enthusiastic engagement on a beach day or provide a soothing closing to a long day.
September 28, 2022
Who wouldn’t love a book about staying at your grandparents’ cottage on the beach collecting shells? Dronzek’s illustrations are lovely
July 18, 2022
Walking along the shoreline, you spot the most unique shells but are they just pretty? As you read this picture book by Kevin Henkes, he has you examining shells beyond their outer beauty. For you are now looking at these shells from all angles: where did this shell come from? Is it empty? If not, who lived in it? If someone lives in it, who is it? Why is it shaped the way it is? Why does it make the sound it makes when I put it up to my ear? As this granddaughter takes a walk with her grandmother on the beach, she is taught to look beyond what her eyes sees.
I liked the flow of the book as it begins with the granddaughter just enjoying her walk on the beach looking at all the shells and then, as her grandma starts talking to her about the shells, her mind gets going about all the different possibilities these shells might have when a few minutes ago, they were just pretty shells. Grandma helped the girl start to think on her own. This creative thinking continues as the girl looks out into the water and she begins to wonder about life under the water (something that she can’t see from above). Grandpa gets into the picture when he tells her how big the world is and that someday she’ll know everything about it.
With great illustrations that share the stage with the text, this book is fantastic. What a great story time book, bedtime book, or read aloud. Would be a good book to help start a discussion on questions children have about the world they live it. I highly recommend this one. 5 stars
I liked the flow of the book as it begins with the granddaughter just enjoying her walk on the beach looking at all the shells and then, as her grandma starts talking to her about the shells, her mind gets going about all the different possibilities these shells might have when a few minutes ago, they were just pretty shells. Grandma helped the girl start to think on her own. This creative thinking continues as the girl looks out into the water and she begins to wonder about life under the water (something that she can’t see from above). Grandpa gets into the picture when he tells her how big the world is and that someday she’ll know everything about it.
With great illustrations that share the stage with the text, this book is fantastic. What a great story time book, bedtime book, or read aloud. Would be a good book to help start a discussion on questions children have about the world they live it. I highly recommend this one. 5 stars
July 2, 2022
3 1/2 stars
A young, tan, black-haired girl takes a walk on the beach while visiting grandparents. As she gathers the empty shells she thinks of as little houses, she explores many specific questions connected to the sea shore. Who lived here? What's under the water? What might wash up? How old is each rock? Soothing, painted illustrations in soft colors are full of simple shapes and child friendly details. The story doesn't answers any questions but provides a model of what questions can be inspired by an outing, and how the awareness of all there is to know and learn can be a comfort and a solace. Not the book for people who feel it is wrong to remove sea shells from the beach.
A young, tan, black-haired girl takes a walk on the beach while visiting grandparents. As she gathers the empty shells she thinks of as little houses, she explores many specific questions connected to the sea shore. Who lived here? What's under the water? What might wash up? How old is each rock? Soothing, painted illustrations in soft colors are full of simple shapes and child friendly details. The story doesn't answers any questions but provides a model of what questions can be inspired by an outing, and how the awareness of all there is to know and learn can be a comfort and a solace. Not the book for people who feel it is wrong to remove sea shells from the beach.
June 11, 2022
I'm a huge Henkes fan, always have been! And, his wife's artwork makes me want to crawl inside their stories & live forever!!! Henkes books are successful because they have coherent themes & simple stories that take the reader, gently & cohesively from beginning to logical end. The stories don't try to pack in multiple, often unrelated, ideas the way many other (unsuccessful) picture books do. Just pick one simple idea & tell the story in a way that children will understand & relate to. In this case, a trip to visit grandparents at their beach home that organically introduces a conversation about the beach, waves, shells & sets off a delightful curiosity of the young grandchild.
Yep, I wanna live I side this book!!
Yep, I wanna live I side this book!!
June 13, 2022
Henkes challenges readers to really think about small things. The child and her family love their time together at the beach. They share a small cottage and play on the beach. She likes to gather shells and begins wondering about the animals who called these objects home. The illustrations bring Henkes' text to life for young readers. Both serve as a starting place for a child's imagination to carry on the story.
June 11, 2022
Typical slow, gentle style, which exactly suits the seeking, questioning text format, beautifully done. One small quibble: I have never seen one particular beach with the number of shells and variety of shells as pictured in the illustrations; a child might expect to find such and be disappointed. Perhaps it is just the beaches I've been to, but I would say the many beaches I have visited in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Maine, Washington, Oregon, California, Jamaica, and eastern and western coasts of Mexico are a pretty wide sampling. I guess it is an example of "poetic license" by the artist.
August 11, 2022
When I opened this book I knew I was in for a treat - the inside cover is decorated with the most exquisite shell drawings. The rest of the book's illustrations are equally amazing showing beach scenes and imaginative underwater scenes and a lovely young girl and her Grandparents interacting at the beach. The simple text works with the illustrations to create a love letter to the beach, ocean and family. Sooo beautiful.
June 2, 2022
I don't give 5 stars to many books, but this one definitely deserves it! Laura Dronzek's illustrations are a perfect representation of the heart of Kevin Henkes' words. This book made me reflect on our trips to the beach and the wonder of finding just the right treasure on the shore.
December 22, 2021
This is a beautiful book. Taking the thoughts of a child on nature at the beach to wondering about nature in the world. The ending is perfect.
May 22, 2022
A visit to a grandparents’ small beach house allows a young girl time to wonder about the creatures that once lived in the shells she finds.
June 2, 2022
A contemplative story about a child's visit to the ocean. Typical of Kevin Henkes, this book will generate a sense of enjoyment but also maybe some realizations about the profundity of nature.
December 24, 2025
5 stars for this book that showcases the little houses we call shells
July 19, 2022
Another quiet intergenerational story by the married duo, Kevin Henkes and Laura Dronzek.
While visiting her grandparents, a young girl is attracted to the nearby beach. She goes walking along the seashore with her grandmother and later her grandfather, picking up seashells and thinking deep thoughts about the shells as she walks.
Once again, Henkes shows why he is a writer of feelings for young people. The text is just right for a summer's day on the beach, with the girl thinking big thoughts that are uplifting and curious - though it does drift once into thoughts that pull the mood down a bit.
(I infer this story is located in Florida - as the palm trees might be seen there, the types of seashells and sand dollars illustrated would be found, and the water would be warm enough to run in).
Dronzek's illustrations were created using acrylic paints. They are bright and colorful with the ocean in many shades of blue and green. I find that the beach is just a bit cluttered compared to my Florida beach experiences. Too many shells are lying on the beach (unless a hurricane happened to blow through the day or so before - but that is not evident in the trees or vegetation near the house), and there are not enough broken or damaged shells, seaweed, sea glass, or other kinds of debris on the beach. Also, the spread of the deep ocean is too full of sea creatures per square inch to be real and too much "stuff" in that small an area on the floor clutters the image.
Use this in units on the ocean, beaches, and summer vacations.
Recommended for PreSchool-grade 2.
While visiting her grandparents, a young girl is attracted to the nearby beach. She goes walking along the seashore with her grandmother and later her grandfather, picking up seashells and thinking deep thoughts about the shells as she walks.
Once again, Henkes shows why he is a writer of feelings for young people. The text is just right for a summer's day on the beach, with the girl thinking big thoughts that are uplifting and curious - though it does drift once into thoughts that pull the mood down a bit.
(I infer this story is located in Florida - as the palm trees might be seen there, the types of seashells and sand dollars illustrated would be found, and the water would be warm enough to run in).
Dronzek's illustrations were created using acrylic paints. They are bright and colorful with the ocean in many shades of blue and green. I find that the beach is just a bit cluttered compared to my Florida beach experiences. Too many shells are lying on the beach (unless a hurricane happened to blow through the day or so before - but that is not evident in the trees or vegetation near the house), and there are not enough broken or damaged shells, seaweed, sea glass, or other kinds of debris on the beach. Also, the spread of the deep ocean is too full of sea creatures per square inch to be real and too much "stuff" in that small an area on the floor clutters the image.
Use this in units on the ocean, beaches, and summer vacations.
Recommended for PreSchool-grade 2.
Read
June 21, 2022See my full review here: https://www.yabookscentral.com/little...
LITTLE HOUSES is a pensive and poetic picture book about family and the majesty of the ocean. A young girl is spending time with her grandparents at the beach. She is gathering seashells with them and realizes that they are like little houses for the animals who had lived in them. She considers the ocean and how little she knows about it. At the end of the day, she brings the seashells into her room and considers how they are houses in a house, connecting the world.
What I loved: This is a really thoughtful story that encourages children to consider the world around them. The magic of the beach and the ocean comes to life through the eyes of the young girl. The lush and colorful sketch-like illustrations bring the majesty and whimsy of it all to life. The connections the young girl has with her grandparents is apparent as she spends time with each along the beach. Children will connect with the story and view the beach in a new way amidst the poetic language and thoughtful words.
The text is large and easy to read aloud. The relative brevity of words on each page makes the pages turn as quickly as young readers would like and makes this a great pick for toddlers and preschoolers.
Final verdict: A lyrical picture book about the magic of the beach and ocean, LITTLE HOUSES is a pensive and thought-provoking read that will appeal to young readers.
LITTLE HOUSES is a pensive and poetic picture book about family and the majesty of the ocean. A young girl is spending time with her grandparents at the beach. She is gathering seashells with them and realizes that they are like little houses for the animals who had lived in them. She considers the ocean and how little she knows about it. At the end of the day, she brings the seashells into her room and considers how they are houses in a house, connecting the world.
What I loved: This is a really thoughtful story that encourages children to consider the world around them. The magic of the beach and the ocean comes to life through the eyes of the young girl. The lush and colorful sketch-like illustrations bring the majesty and whimsy of it all to life. The connections the young girl has with her grandparents is apparent as she spends time with each along the beach. Children will connect with the story and view the beach in a new way amidst the poetic language and thoughtful words.
The text is large and easy to read aloud. The relative brevity of words on each page makes the pages turn as quickly as young readers would like and makes this a great pick for toddlers and preschoolers.
Final verdict: A lyrical picture book about the magic of the beach and ocean, LITTLE HOUSES is a pensive and thought-provoking read that will appeal to young readers.
July 15, 2024
SPOILERS
I really didn't like this one. I read/listened to a Vox Books version of this story. The narrator makes it not even worth listening. The voice of the narrator is like nails on a chalkboard.
As far as the story itself, it could be cute, but there's just too many questionable comments - especially for how very short this story is. The little girl in the story hears things. Not a problem in and of itself, but she runs to the ocean meet the voices, while she's alone. She hears ghosts inside seashells. It's intimated that Grandma confirms there are ghosts. The girl talks about losing things in the ocean and how that makes people cry. She's oddly preoccupied with how deep the ocean is, how it's different colors. None of these are good ideas to put into small children's heads.
I dunno. There's just something that makes me feel "off" when reading this one. I will say that the illustrations are colorful.
I really didn't like this one. I read/listened to a Vox Books version of this story. The narrator makes it not even worth listening. The voice of the narrator is like nails on a chalkboard.
As far as the story itself, it could be cute, but there's just too many questionable comments - especially for how very short this story is. The little girl in the story hears things. Not a problem in and of itself, but she runs to the ocean meet the voices, while she's alone. She hears ghosts inside seashells. It's intimated that Grandma confirms there are ghosts. The girl talks about losing things in the ocean and how that makes people cry. She's oddly preoccupied with how deep the ocean is, how it's different colors. None of these are good ideas to put into small children's heads.
I dunno. There's just something that makes me feel "off" when reading this one. I will say that the illustrations are colorful.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 22, 2023
I'm sorry that I missed this book last year because I would have taken it to the beach with me, to read to my family, young and old. Like the young girl who visits her grandparents in their little house by the sea, we, too, would have looked for "little houses", what Kevin Henkes tells of this grandmother who shares that about shells. There are wonderings, like who lived in them, as grandmother also shares, "things we cannot see"; and when grandfather speaks about the wide world with so much to know, the young girl begins her own questioning. In beautiful, color-filled, illustrations by Laura Dronzek, I know how wondrous is the beach, and Kevin Henkes has lovingly taken me there. I am grateful!
October 4, 2023
The nameless narrator of this story visits her grandparents at the beach.
How idyllic! The three of them stay in a little house by the beach.
Sophie has plenty of time to ramble and ask her questions about what she encounters. Sometimes alone, and sometimes along with a grandparent, Sophie walks along the shore. She tries to make sense of what she sees.
ONLY HOW DOES ALL THIS WORK OUT?
Personally, I find that both of her grandparents are slackers, at least their answers to Sophie's questions are remarkably unhelpful.
FIVE STARS for this wistful book. Because family members can sometimes be remarkably disappointing. On the bright side, readers learn that Sophie isn't destroyed by her mostly lonely experience at the beach.
How idyllic! The three of them stay in a little house by the beach.
Sophie has plenty of time to ramble and ask her questions about what she encounters. Sometimes alone, and sometimes along with a grandparent, Sophie walks along the shore. She tries to make sense of what she sees.
ONLY HOW DOES ALL THIS WORK OUT?
Personally, I find that both of her grandparents are slackers, at least their answers to Sophie's questions are remarkably unhelpful.
FIVE STARS for this wistful book. Because family members can sometimes be remarkably disappointing. On the bright side, readers learn that Sophie isn't destroyed by her mostly lonely experience at the beach.
August 24, 2023
A little girl visiting her grandparents who live on the beach, starts wondering about who used to live in all the shells on the beach, what lives underneath the waves that lap the shore, and other things.
I liked this until the little girl wondered if there were ghosts living in the shells. That suggestion would've creeped me out as a child, and I'm sure it will do the same for many other easily spooked kids. I feel like it ruined the beauty of shells. I'm sure it won't phase many kids, but I'd be careful who you read this to. The illustrations were charming, and I like the concept of referring to shells as little houses...but I couldn't get past that one line.
I liked this until the little girl wondered if there were ghosts living in the shells. That suggestion would've creeped me out as a child, and I'm sure it will do the same for many other easily spooked kids. I feel like it ruined the beauty of shells. I'm sure it won't phase many kids, but I'd be careful who you read this to. The illustrations were charming, and I like the concept of referring to shells as little houses...but I couldn't get past that one line.
August 12, 2025
Storytime: Homes, Ocean, Beach
Ugh - DEAD OF THE CHARMING AND DELIGHTFULNESS AND CUTENESS AND...
I can't wait to read this in Storytime.
Book like these are why I think everyone should read and enjoy picture books, regardless of age or if you have kids or work with kids. There is also some good science-y facts in here about the ocean and the beach, and it's all wrapped up in a lovely little story.
Ugh - DEAD OF THE CHARMING AND DELIGHTFULNESS AND CUTENESS AND...
I can't wait to read this in Storytime.
Book like these are why I think everyone should read and enjoy picture books, regardless of age or if you have kids or work with kids. There is also some good science-y facts in here about the ocean and the beach, and it's all wrapped up in a lovely little story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews