{{short description|American writer and children's book illustrator}} {{for multi|the South Australian politician|David Shannon (politician)|the Canadian activist and lawyer|David Shannon (lawyer)|the Australian bomber pilot|Dave Shannon}} {{Autobiography|date=January 2012}} {{Infobox writer | name = David Shannon | image = David Shannon, 2011.jpg | caption = Shannon in 2011, posing at an event in New York. | birth_place = Washington, D.C., U.S. | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1959|10|5}} <!--see TALK--> | occupation = Illustrator, writer | period = 1989–present | genre = Children's picture books <!--any other?--> }}
'''David Shannon''' (born October 5, 1959)<!--see TALK--> 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''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bluerectangle.com/book_reviews/view_one_review/1957 |title=''How I Became A Pirate'' |author= |date= |publisher= |accessdate=2010-06-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100810052107/http://bluerectangle.com/book_reviews/view_one_review/1957 |archive-date=2010-08-10 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and ''Pirates Don't Change Diapers''.
==Early life== Shannon was born in Washington, D.C., but he also spent his childhood in Spokane, Washington.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-10-16 |title=With "GOLD," children's book author David Shannon mines an ancient story with a new twist |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2022/oct/16/david-shannons-gold/ |access-date=2025-05-05 |website=Spokesman.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2006-09-18 |title=He was drawn to success |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2006/sep/18/he-was-drawn-to-success/ |access-date=2025-05-05 |website=Spokesman.com |language=en}}</ref> 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."<ref name=Bolle>{{Citation| last = Bolle| first = S | title = David Shannon: A Merry Prankster | journal = S. Peacock (Ed.)Children's Literature Review | volume = 87 | issue = 29 | publisher = Gale Publishers Weekly | place = Detroit | pages = 168–169 | year = 2003 | url = http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=LitRC&u=naal_aub}} Retrieved April 29, 2009, from Literature Resource Center via Gale</ref> Shannon said that this fondness for villains made him realize as a child that "you need both sides for a good story."<ref name=Bolle/>
As a student in high school, he decided early on that he wanted to have a career in an art field.<ref name="Bolle" /> Shannon enjoyed making his own illustrations to books that he was reading in high school.<ref name="Bolle" /> 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''.<ref name="Bolle" /> 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).<ref name="Gale">{{Citation | title = David Shannon | journal = Something About the Author | place = Farmington Hills, Michigan | publisher = Gale Research Company | volume = 15 | pages = 220–226 | year = 2005}} Gale Thomson</ref>
==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.<ref name=Bolle/>
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."<ref name=Review59>{{Citation | title = Untitled | journal = S. Peacock (Ed.) Children's Literature Review | volume = 87 | issue = 27 | pages = 59 | place = Detroit | publisher = Gale Publishers Weekly | year = 2003a | url = http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=LitRC&u=naal_aub}} Retrieved April 29, 2009, from Literature Resource Center via Gale</ref>
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."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.perma-bound.com/ViewDetail/4352060-david-gets-in-trouble|title=David Gets in Trouble|website=Perma-Bound Books|language=en|access-date=2020-01-25}}</ref>
==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..."<ref name=Garner>{{Citation | last = Garner | first = D | title = Busted: when Mommy ignores him, Robbie takes matters into his own hands. When David does something wrong, he denies it | journal = The New York Times Book Review | volume = 107 | issue = 46 | year = 2002 | url = http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=LitRC&u=naal_aub}} Retrieved April 29, 2009, from Literature Resource Center via Gale.</ref>
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.<ref name=Review75>{{Citation | title = Untitled | journal = S. Peacock (Ed.)Children's Literature Review | volume = 87 | issue = 42 | pages = 75 | place = Detroit | publisher = Gale Publishers Weekly | year = 2003b | url = http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=LitRC&u=naal_aub}} Retrieved April 29, 2009, from Literature Resource Center via Gale</ref> 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."<ref name=Review75/>
==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.<ref name=Gale/>
==Personal life== Shannon lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Heidi, and his daughter, Emma (b. 1998).<ref name=Gale/> Shannon is working on the screenplay for ''Georgie Radbourn'', a DreamWorks live-action film.
==Bibliography==
{| class="sortable wikitable" border="1" |- ! style="text-align: center"|publication<br /> date ! title ! series or notes ! format |- | rowspan="2" |1994 |''How Georgie Radbourn Saved Baseball'' | | |- |''The Ballad of the Pirate Queens'' | rowspan="2" |Jane Yolen | |- | rowspan="2" |1996 |''Encounter'' | |- |''The Bunyans'' |Audrey Wood | |- | rowspan="3" |1998 |{{sort|Bad Case of Stripes,A|''A Bad Case of Stripes''}} | | |- |''No, David!'' |David |hardcover |- |''The Acrobat and the Angel'' |Mark Shannon | |- |1999 |''David Goes To School'' |David |hardcover |- |2000 |''The Rain Came Down'' | | |- | rowspan="6" |2002 |''David Gets in Trouble'' |David |hardcover |- |''Duck on a Bike'' |Duck on a... | |- |''Duck and a Book'' | | |- |''The Rough-Face Girl'' |Rafe Martin | |- |''Robot Zot'' |Jon Scieszka | |- |''Amazing Christmas Extravaganza'' | | |- |2003 |''How I Became a Pirate'' | | |- |2004 |''Alice The Fairy'' | | |- | rowspan="3" |2005 |''Oh, David!'' | rowspan="3" |Diaper David | rowspan="3" |board book |- |''David Smells!'' |- |''Oops!'' |- | rowspan="2" |2006 |''Good Boy, Fergus!'' | | |- |''Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?'' |Marla Frazee | |- |2007 |''Pirates Don't Change Diapers'' | | |- | rowspan="11" |2008 |''Too Many Toys'' | | |- |''Who's That Truck?'' | rowspan="13" |Jon Scieszka's Trucktown | |- |''Kat's Mystery Gift'' | |- |''Kat's Maps'' | |- |''Meet Jack Truck!'' | |- |''What a Wreck!'' | |- |''Melvin Might?'' | |- |''Snow Trucking!'' | |- |''Pete's Party'' | |- |''Truckery Rhymes'' | |- |''Zoom! Boom! Bully'' | |- | rowspan="3" |2009||''Smash That Trash!''|| |- |''On the Move!''|| |- |''Uh-Oh, Max''|| |- |2010 |''It's Christmas, David!'' |David | |- |2016 |''Duck on a Tractor'' |Duck on a... |hardcover |- |2018 |''Grow Up, David'' |David | |- |2025 |''That's Not Funny, David'' |David | |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [http://www.scholastic.com/titles/nodavid/davidshannon.htm Shannon] at publisher Scholastic Books * {{LCAuth|n88232558|David Shannon|55|}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shannon, David}} Category:1959 births Category:Living people Category:American children's book illustrators Category:American children's writers Category:Writers who illustrated their own writing