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For the South Australian politician, see David Shannon (politician). For the Australian bomber pilot, see Dave Shannon.
| This article is an autobiography or has been extensively edited by the subject or an institution related to the subject. It may need editing to conform to Wikipedia's neutral point of view policy. There may be relevant discussion on the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk avid_Shannon]talk page[/url]. (January 2012) |
David Shannon |
 Shannon in 2011, posing at an event in New York.
|
Born | October 5, 1959 (age 55)
Washington, D.C. |
Occupation | Illustrator, writer |
Period | 1989–present |
Genre | Children's picture books |
David Shannon (born October 5, 1959) is an American writer and illustrator of children's books. Shannon grew up in
Spokane, Washington. He graduated from the
Art Center College of Design and now lives in
Los Angeles. In 1998 he won the
Caldecott Honor for his
No, David!. He has also written
A Bad Case of Stripes,
How Georgie Radbourn Saved Baseball, and
The Amazing Christmas Extravaganza. Shannon illustrated Audrey Wood's
The Bunyans, various books by Jane Yolen including
The Ballad of the Pirate Queens and
Encounter, as well as Melinda Long's
How I Became a Pirate[1] and
Pirates Don't Change Diapers.
Early life[edit] David Shannon was born in Washington DC but he also spent his childhood in Spokane, Washington. In an interview with Sonia Bolle in the Children's Literature Review (CLR), he said, "I loved
Oliver Twist, but I liked the Artful Dodger more than Oliver. And I always thought the villains in Disney Movies were really cool."
[2] Shannon said that this fondness for villains made him realize as a child that "you need both sides for a good story."
[2]As a student in high school, he decided early on that he wanted to have a career in an art field.
[2]Shannon enjoyed making his own illustrations to books that he was reading in high school.
[2] Shannon attended art school at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, and decided to focus on learning about political illustrations. In 1983, Shannon moved to New York City and began working for various magazines and newspapers. Two of his major jobs were for the
New York Times and the
Book Review.
[2] These jobs brought Shannon's work increased exposure. His first book of illustrations was Julius Lester's
How Many Spots Does a Leopard Have? (1989).
[3] Children's books[edit] Shannon's first book, was
How Georgie Radbourn Saved Baseball (1994), where Shannon was able to incorporate his dark painting style, which came from his love of villains, with a story about baseball.
[2]Shannon's book
No David! (1998)was named a Caldecott Honor Book in 1999. This book is the story of a mischievous child whose mother is always telling him 'no' But she reassures him at the end when she finally says, "Yes, David, I love you." According to a review in the CLR, "Readers won't be able to resist taking a walk on the wild side with this little rascal, and may only secretly acknowledge how much of him they recognize in themselves."
[4] No, David! (1998)
Shannon followed
No David! (1998) up with
David Goes to School (1999) and
David Gets in Trouble (2002). The latter was reviewed by Adele Greenlee, who stated that, "Children who enjoyed
No, David! (1998) and
David Goes to School (1999) will welcome this lighthearted sequel."[
citation needed]
Style[edit] An entry in the Eight Book of Junior Authors and Illustrators states, "Shannon tells his stories with vibrant, imaginative pictures. Working with acrylic paints, he creates characters and settings that both illustrate and expand the story being told. His artwork is richly colored, and the results can be funny, mischievous, ironic, sensational, spooky, serious, even epic." Shannon's work has been recognized by the
American Library Association and the
School Library Journal. As Dwight Garner said, "David Shannon is among this country's most respected children's book illustrators; in a field that has nearly as many award ceremonies each year as the television industry does, Shannon has taken home most of their prizes…"
[5]In
The Rain Came Down (2000), an unexpected summer shower causes great chaos in a small neighborhood. This huge shower causes a line of temper tantrums, but when the clouds suddenly break, all of the sour moods go away.
[6] A review for CLR said, "Shannon expertly uses vertiginous angles as he builds suspense, then calms things down with a set of subdued portraits and a view of a quiet afternoon picnic."
[6] Awards[edit] Personal life[edit] Shannon currently[
when?] lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Heidi, and his daughter, Emma (b. 1998).
[3] Shannon is working on the screenplay for
Georgie Radbourn, for a DreamWorks live-action film.
Bibliography[edit] publication
date
title
series or notes
format
It's Christmas, David!
David
Feb 2005
Oh, David!
Diaper David
board book
1994
How Georgie Radbourn Saved Baseball
The Ballad of the Pirate Queens
Jane Yolen
Sep 1996
Encounter
Jane Yolen
The Bunyans
Audrey Wood
Sep 2003
How I Became a Pirate
Sep 1998
David
hardcover
The Acrobat and the Angel
Mark Shannon
Oct 2008
Too Many Toys
Sep 2005
David Smells!
Diaper David
boardbook
Sep 2002
David Gets in Trouble
David
hardcover
Mar 2007
Pirates Don't Change Diapers
Feb 2005
Oops!
Diaper David
board book
Aug 1999
David Goes To School
David
hardcover
Apr 2002
Duck on a Bike
Duck and a Book
The Rough-Face Girl
Rafe Martin
Robot Zot
Jon Scieszka
Amazing Christmas Extravaganza
Mar 2006
Good Boy, Fergus!
Jan 2009
Smash That Trash!
Jon Scieszka's Trucktown
Oct 2004
Alice The Fairy
Jun 2008
Who's That Truck?
Jon Scieszka's Trucktown
Kat's Mystery Gift
Jon Scieszka's Trucktown
Kat's Maps
Jon Scieszka's Trucktown
Jun 2008
Meet Jack Truck!
Jon Scieszka's Trucktown
Sep 2008
What a Wreck!
Jon Scieszka's Trucktown
Oct 2008
Melvin Might?
Jon Scieszka's Trucktown
Sep 2008
Snow Trucking!
Jon Scieszka's Trucktown
Jun 2008
Pete's Party
Jon Scieszka's Trucktown
Truckery Rhymes
Jon Scieszka's Trucktown
Oct 2000
The Rain Came Down
Jun 2008
Zoom! Boom! Bully
Jon Scieszka's Trucktown
Jan 2009
On the Move!
Jon Scieszka's Trucktown
Sep 2006
Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?
Marla Frazee
Oct 2002
A Bad Case Of Stripes
Jan 2009
Uh-Oh, Max
Jon Scieszka's Trucktown
References[edit]
- Jump up^ "How I Became A Pirate". Retrieved2010-06-25.
- ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f Bolle, S (2003), "David Shannon: A Merry Prankster", S. Peacock (Ed.)Children's Literature Review(Detroit: Gale Publishers Weekly) 87(29): 168–169 Retrieved April 29, 2009, from Literature Resource Center via Gale
- ^ Jump up to:a b c "David Shannon", Something About The Author (Farmington Hills, Michigan: Gale Research Company) 15, 2005: 220–226Gale Thomson
- Jump up^ "Untitled", S. Peacock (Ed.)Children's Literature Review (Detroit: Gale Publishers Weekly) 87 (27), 2003a: 59Retrieved April 29, 2009, from Literature Resource Center via Gale
- Jump up^ Garner, D (2002), "Busted: when Mommy ignores him, Robbie takes matters into his own hands. When David does something wrong, he denies it", The New York Times Book Review 107 (46) Retrieved April 29, 2009, from Literature Resource Center via Gale.
- ^ Jump up to:a b "Untitled", S. Peacock (Ed.)Children's Literature Review(Detroit: Gale Publishers Weekly) 87(42), 2003b: 75 Retrieved April 29, 2009, from Literature Resource Center via Gale