David Shannon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
David Shannon
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Shannon in 2011, posing at an event in New York.
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| Born | October 5, 1959 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Occupation | Illustrator, writer |
| Period | 1989–present |
| Genre | Children's picture books |
David Shannon, born on October 5, 1959, is a famous American writer and artist who creates children's books. He grew up in Spokane, Washington, and later studied at the Art Center College of Design. Today, he lives in Los Angeles.
In 1998, David Shannon won a special award called the Caldecott Honor for his popular book, No, David!. He has also written other well-known books like A Bad Case of Stripes, How Georgie Radbourn Saved Baseball, and The Amazing Christmas Extravaganza. Besides writing his own stories, Shannon has also drawn pictures for many other authors' books. These include The Bunyans by Audrey Wood, The Rough Face Girl by Rafe Martin, and several books by Jane Yolen. He also illustrated How I Became a Pirate and Pirates Don't Change Diapers by Melinda Long.
Contents
David Shannon's Early Life
David Shannon was born in Washington, D.C., but he spent most of his childhood in Spokane, Washington. When he was young, he loved stories. He once said that he enjoyed the bad guys in Disney movies because they made stories more exciting. This showed him that a good story needs both heroes and villains.
When he was in high school, David knew he wanted to work in art. He loved drawing pictures for the books he read. He went to art school at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. After finishing school in 1983, he moved to New York City. There, he started drawing for different magazines and newspapers, including The New York Times. His first book with his illustrations was How Many Spots Does a Leopard Have? in 1989.
His Amazing Career
David Shannon's first book that he both wrote and illustrated was How Georgie Radbourn Saved Baseball (1994). In this book, he used his unique drawing style, which sometimes included darker elements, to tell a fun baseball story.
One of his most famous books is No David! (1998). This book earned him the Caldecott Honor in 1999. It's about a playful boy named David who often gets into trouble. His mom frequently says "no" to him. But at the end, she reminds him how much she loves him. Kids often enjoy this book because they can see a bit of themselves in David's mischievous adventures.
After No David!, Shannon wrote two more books about the character: David Goes to School (1999) and David Gets in Trouble (2002). These books continued David's funny and relatable stories.
David Shannon's Art Style
David Shannon is known for his lively and imaginative pictures. He uses bright colors in his acrylic paintings. His artwork helps tell the story and makes the characters and settings come alive. His drawings can be funny, playful, serious, or even a little spooky.
Many groups, like the American Library Association, have praised his work. One writer, Dwight Garner, said that David Shannon is one of the most respected children's book artists in the country. He has won many awards for his amazing illustrations.
In his book The Rain Came Down (2000), Shannon shows how an unexpected summer rainstorm causes a lot of funny chaos in a neighborhood. Everyone gets grumpy, but when the sun comes out, their bad moods disappear. Shannon uses clever angles in his drawings to build excitement, then calms things down with peaceful pictures.
Awards and Honors
David Shannon has won several important awards for his books:
- How Georgie Radbourn Saved Baseball (1994) was named one of The New York Times' Ten Best Illustrated Books of 1994.
- No David! (1998) received the Caldecott Honor. It was also an ALA Notable Children's Book and a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year.
- The Rain Came Down (2001) won the Golden Kite Award.
- How I Became a Pirate (2003) was given the Booksense Best Picture Book award.
About David's Life
David Shannon lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Heidi, and their daughter, Emma, who was born in 1998. He is currently working on a movie script for his book Georgie Radbourn with DreamWorks.
When David was just five years old, he wrote and drew his very first book. It was filled with pictures of himself doing all sorts of things he wasn't supposed to do!
