B. G. Hennessy

B. G. Hennessy is the author of forty picture books published in more than ten languages worldwide, including fifteen books based on Don Freeman’s beloved Corduroy bear. Hennessy begins each project by searching for the right question. What would a child ask? Or “What would happen if there was a dinosaur in my backyard?” Or “How do you build a road?” Or maybe “What makes someone happy ever after?” Finding the right question is her starting point.

When writing the Corduroy stories, Hennessy looks for just the right question for Corduroy: “What should I get Lisa for her birthday? How can I find a home? Where did I lose my button?” Once she discovers the question, she works on finding the words to bring the story alive.

Hennessy believes that a child’s imagination and sense of wonder grow out of their natural curiosity about the world. “Questions,” she says, “are where that journey begins. Books can provide some of the answers. Reading to a child is