Willow Dawson facts for kids
Willow Dawson is a Canadian cartoonist and illustrator. She is famous for creating amazing graphic novels, picture books, and illustrated fairy tale collections. Her art brings stories to life in a unique way!
Contents
Willow's Early Life and School
Willow Dawson was born in Vancouver, Canada. As a child, Willow faced serious health challenges that meant she spent a lot of time at home. During this time, she discovered her love for drawing and spent many hours creating art. Her father was also an artist, which helped her learn about different kinds of art from a young age.
Later, Willow went to the Ontario College of Art & Design in Toronto. She studied hard and graduated from the college in 2006.
Willow's Amazing Books
Willow Dawson has illustrated many wonderful books, bringing stories to life with her unique art style.
Violet Miranda: Girl Pirate
One of Willow's early projects was illustrating Violet Miranda: Girl Pirate. This graphic novel was written by Emily Pohl-Weary and told a thrilling story in four parts. The first part came out in 2005. People loved its "beautifully illustrated black and white saga," saying it showed "much promise."
No Girls Allowed
In 2008, Willow illustrated another graphic novel called No Girls Allowed. Written by Susan Hughes, this book shared the incredible true stories of women throughout history who dressed up as men to achieve their goals. Willow used ink and acrylic on cardboard to create powerful black-and-white images for the book. It received great reviews from places like Boing Boing and the School Library Journal.
The Big Green Book of the Big Blue Sea
In 2012, Willow helped create The Big Green Book of the Big Blue Sea. This book teaches kids about the amazing ocean ecosystem. It even includes fun science experiments and activities for younger children to try!
Hyena in Petticoats
Penguin Canada asked Willow to create a historical graphic novel about Nellie McClung. Nellie McClung was a very important Canadian suffragette. A suffragette was a woman who fought for women's right to vote. This book became Hyena in Petticoats. Nellie McClung believed her farm life helped her success. So, Willow designed the page borders to look like old farming catalogues from the 1900s. She also added tiny, moving animals that matched the theme of each chapter.
The Wolf-Birds
Willow's 2015 picture book, The Wolf-Birds, was praised as a fantastic way to learn about forest ecology (how forests work). It was a finalist for the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award in 2016 and the Blue Spruce Award in 2017.
Avis Dolphin
In 2015, Willow drew the black-and-white comic panels for Frieda Wishinsky's children's book Avis Dolphin. This book tells a fictional story about a 12-year-old girl named Avis Dolphin. She survived the sinking of the RMS Lusitania ship by a German U-boat in 1915. Willow also illustrated My Girlfriend's Pregnant! A Teen's Guide to Becoming a Dad in 2015.
White as Milk, Red as Blood
In 2018, a collection of 19th-century fairy tales by Franz Xaver von Schönwerth was translated. This collection, called White as Milk, Red as Blood, was found in Germany in 2009. Knopf Canada published it with Willow Dawson's beautiful illustrations. It was the very first full-color edition of these fairy tales!
