Owen Book

I would personally like to thank Kevin Henkes for writing the book Owen because it seemed like a gift to me and my son, Owen. The book Owen came out in 1993 and the person Owen came out in 1992. When the book came out, my Owen had a year to establish himself as a little human being and by the time he was a year old he had a comfort "LeLe" -- a Lambchop puppet with a soft wooly fleece and he sucked his thumb. I think maybe Kevin Henkes saw us at the park one day and became inspired by my adorable son, and wrote this beautifully illustrated and sweetly written book about a little mouse named Owen who sucks his thumb and has a comfort blanket named "Fuzzy." Henkes probably changed LeLe into Fuzzy to protect the innocent.

Owen (the book) is the story of a little mouse who can't go anywhere or do anything without his "Fuzzy." Fuzzy experiences life with Owen, 'eating and drinking' orange juice, ice cream and applesauce cake. Owen's parents don't think much about their son's attachment to his blanket until a nosey old neighbor -- Mrs. Twitter -- starts to suggest that Owen is too old for such a thing. Soon Owen's parents are telling him that Fuzzy is going to disappear and be replaced by a toy that is for big boys. Owen hides Fuzzy in the pants of his pajamas to avoid losing him. As Owen deals with the daily trials and tribulations of a 4-year-old (going to the dentist, getting a haircut), Fuzzy is called into service on a regular basis.

So begins gentle nudging from Owen's parents to make him give up Fuzzy before he begins going to school. They resort to such tactics like dipping her in vinegar and outright telling Owen he may not take her to school. Owen's tears at losing his friend gives his mother an idea, and soon Owen is able to take Fuzzy to school without anyone realizing it. Owen is once again smiling and happy.

Henkes' drawings are delightful, and Owen is as cute as he can be with big mouse ears and a sweet little face. Each picture correspondes with the text so younger listeners will be able to follow along with the words and pictures in a read-aloud. Henkes also captures Owen's imagination as he pretends he's Captain Plunger (in the bathroom), he's marching in a parade, and playing in the backyard. If we remember our own children playing, it'll be easy to see a little bit of Owen in each of them.

One of the things Henkes does so endearingly in this book is show how conflicted Owen's parents are about making their son give up something he loves. A lot of us have been there, and it's broken our hearts as much as our children's hearts to try and force them to stop doing something that makes them feel good, i.e., suck their thumb, twirl their hair, rub their face with the satiny part of their blankie, or idly thumb the fleece fuzz on their LeLe. I've been there thinking, what difference does it make if my Owen sleeps with LeLe or not? When he goes to college he likely won't take her with him, so was it necessary for me to tell him to be a big boy and give her up? I would've upset Mrs. Twitter because I never took my Owen's LeLe from him.

On a very basic level Kevin Henkes wrote this beautiful story and it will endure the test of time as long as human beings need love and comfort. In fact, one of our most basic human instincts is to comfort ourselves when we're stressed, sad, lonely, or upset. Owen (the book) touches at the heart of that basic need, and I was reminded of that when I watched Owen (my 16-year-old son) idly touch the wool fleece insert in his jacket -- just like he used to touch LeLe when he was three-years-old and needed comfort -- as he was telling me about his girlfriend breaking up with him. It made me want to get out our copy of Owen and read it to him again.