Henry's Fourth of July

by Holly Keller

Henry has a memorable Fourth of July celebration with a picnic, potato sack races, lots of food, and a pond for swimming, but best of all, he is allowed to stay up for fireworks

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Holly Keller is an American author and illustrator of children’s books, celebrated for her warm storytelling and distinctive minimalist cartoon style, often featuring animal protagonists. A lifelong reader and artist, she studied history before turning to illustration, encouraged by a design professor to pursue picture books. Her debut publications introduced a body of work known for gentle humor and emotional insight. Keller’s stories frequently explore themes such as adoption, belonging, friendship, sibling bonds, and coping with loss, offering young readers reassurance alongside entertainment. In addition to writing and illustrating her own titles, she has created artwork for texts by other children’s authors. Her books have received numerous honors and remain widely appreciated for their clarity, empathy, and timeless appeal.

Reviews

[Elizabeth]

Slightly longer than most of the books I use for toddler story time. Possum family celebrates 4th of July, and son stays awake to watch fireworks. I paper-clipped the pages after “They got there just in time for the parade” until “Will the fireworks be soon?” to make this shorter, which seemed to work well.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy reader. Henry enjoys all of the 4th of July festivities, eager for the fireworks.