David Shannon

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 resides in Los Angeles. In 1998, he received the Caldecott Honor for his book 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, Rafe Martin's The Rough Face Girl, 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 and Pirates Don't Change Diapers.

Early life Shannon was born in Washington, D.C., but he also spent his childhood in Spokane, Washington. At the age of five, he wrote and illustrated his first book. On every page were pictures of David doing things he was not supposed to do. 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." Shannon said that this fondness for villains made him realize as a child that "you need both sides for a good story."

Career 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.

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."

Style 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..."

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 the sour moods go away. 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."

Awards How Georgie Radbourn Saved Baseball (1994) was on The New York Times list as one of the Ten Best Illustrated Books of 1994. No, David! (1998) was named as a Caldecott Honor Book, an ALA Notable Children's Book, a Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon title, a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, and was on the New York Times Best Illustrated Book list The Rain Came Down (2001) was awarded the Golden Kite Award; How I Became a Pirate (2003) received the Booksense Best Picture Book.

Personal life Shannon lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Heidi, and his daughter, Emma (b. 1998). Shannon is working on the screenplay for Georgie Radbourn, a DreamWorks live-action film.