GEORGE SHANNON

Author

George Shannon began his professional work with children in 1973. After experience as a children's librarian and professional storyteller, his first children's book, LIZARD'S SONG, was accepted by Greenwillow in 1979. Since then he has had 38 books published including 27 picture books (among them DANCE AWAY, CLIMBING KANSAS MOUNTAINS, WHITE IS FOR BLUEBERRY, THE SECRET CHICKEN CLUB and BUSY IN THE GARDEN). TIPPY-TOE CHICK, GO! was selected as a Charlotte Zolotow Award Honor Book for picture book writing in 2003. He has also published essays on various aspects of children's literature, and continues to work with children around the world on their own creative writing. Conferences, workshops, and author visits have taken him to schools from the Arctic Circle to Jakarta, and Kuwait to Japan,

Published Books

Coming Soon

Chicken Scratches: Poultry Poetry
by George Shannon with Lynn Brunnelle, Illustrated by Scott Menchin
Chronicle (to be published 2009)

The Witches Double Spelling Bee

by George Shannon
Houghton Harcourt (to be published 2010)

Now in Print

Busy in the Garden

Reading level: Ages 4-8 Hardcover: 40 pages Publisher: Greenwillow (February 28, 2006)

ISBN-10: 0060004649 ISBN-13: 978-0060004644

From School Library Journal Twenty-four snappy poems revolve around the growing season. All are short; most are no more than four lines. Some are punny–Would You Carrot All to Dance? Others are riddles, such as A Riddle Picnic. Papa ate the root/and tossed the leaves./Mama ate the leaves/and said 'Mines best!/Brother ate the stem/and found no seeds./Sister ate the seeds/and tossed the rest. (Answers: carrot, spinach, celery, peas) Children will like the quick pace and the lilting rhythm. ... The watercolor illustrations will definitely appeal to the very young. Simple sketches are planted in the white space in and around the poems, uniting the text and art. Large paintings fill a few pages and give contrast to the smaller sketches. These seasonal poems can be shared one-on-one, read in storytimes, or alone. Selected single poems will fit especially well into garden-themed units.–Carolyn Janssen, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist  "Zucchini meeny miney moe. Plant a seed and watch it grow." Shannon celebrates garden magic in these cheerful verses for the picture-book crowd. No quiet, drowsy flowerbeds here. The gardens in these poems are filled with rowdy, joyful motion and noise that's sure to inspire listener participation: "Peppers in a polka / as the snow peas snapped. / Beans in a boogie / as the cabbage clapped." ... the best selections are immediately accessible and bounce with humor and an irresistible beat. Williams' lively watercolor-and-pencil illustrations of children and animals digging in the rows shine with the colors of spring, although the many small images won't show well to a large crowd. Teachers may want to read the poems in science and poetry units, but the energetic, silly rhymes will easily draw fans outside of the classroom. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Climbing Kansas Mountains by George Shannon (Author), Thomas B. Allen (Illustrator) Reading level: Ages 4-8 School & Library Binding Publisher: Tandem Library (October 1999)

 ISBN-10: 0785791353 ISBN-13: 978-0785791355

From Publishers Weekly When Sam's father suggests that they "climb a Kansas mountain," skeptical Sam says, "Sure . . . and watch pigs fly," but he changes his mind after his father drives him to the grain elevators where they climb "as high as eight houses stacked like blocks." Sam thinks the land looks like their tablecloth, "but with ribbons of road instead of red," and his house seems to be "hiding under trees like a sneaky cat." With homespun imagery and a laconic style, Shannon's (Dancing the Breeze ) text emphasizes Sam's pleasure in "sharing time" alone with his father: "just me--no brothers--in the big front seat." Allen's (In Coal Country; Going West ) pastel illustrations are among his best and are particularly well suited to the text: the green patchwork countryside fairly shimmers in the hazy sunlight, while the heat at the dusty, small-town intersection is nearly palpable. Copyright 1993 Reed Business  Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal  Both the story and the pictures carry a beautifully understated glow in this tale of a boy whose father takes him on an outing. Their trip together-to the grain elevator where the father works-is both a time for closeness ("Just me-no brothers-in the big front seat.") and a chance for the child to experience his surroundings in a fresh way. Shannon's writing style is simple yet graceful, with well-chosen details. The softly colored illustrations done in charcoal, pastel, and colored pencils have a textured look that works well with the nostalgic tone of the story. Allen's handling of color and light, his strategically designed compositions, and his imaginative sense of scale are all marks of his artistic skill. This appealing picture book evokes a spirit of wonder, peace, and expansiveness while also describing the love and security of being with a parent. Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Rabbit's Gift by George Shannon (Author), Dronzek (Illustrator) Reading level: Ages 4-8 Hardcover: 32 pages Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; Library Binding edition (November 1, 2007)

ISBN-10: 0152060731 ISBN-13: 978-0152060732

The Secret Chicken Club by George Shannon (Author), Deborah Zemke (Illustrator) Reading level: Ages 4-8 Hardcover: 40 pages Publisher: Handprint Books (October 27, 2005)

ISBN-10: 159354118X ISBN-13: 978-1593541187

George Shannon's gentle tongue-in-cheek humor and Deborah Zemke's delightfully comic pictures once again combine to create a club all young readers will clamor to join.

Tippy-Toe Chick, Go!  by George Shannon (Author), Laura Dronzek (Illustrator) Reading level: Baby-Preschool Hardcover: 32 pages Publisher: Greenwillow; 1 edition (January 21, 2003)

ISBN-10: 0060298235 ISBN-13: 978-0060298234

When a mean dog blocks the path to the garden where a delicious breakfast awaits, Little Chick shows her family how brave and clever she is.

 ISBN-10: 0613181964 ISBN-13: 978-0613181969

A is for seed, B is for eggs, C is for milk -- what's going on here? The seed is tomorrow's Apple, the eggs are tomorrow's Birds, the milk is tomorrows Cheese! Explore a wonderful world of possibility with an imaginative alphabet puzzle that encouraged young readers to look beyond the obvious.

White Is for Blueberry by George Shannon (Author), Laura Dronzek (Illustrator) Reading level: Ages 4-8 Library Binding: 40 pages Publisher: Greenwillow (March 29, 2005)

ISBN-10: 0060292768 ISBN-13: 978-0060292768

Wise Acres by George Shannon (Author), Deborah Zemke (Illustrator) (Illustrator) Reading level: Ages 4-8 Hardcover: 40 pages Publisher: Handprint Books (May 2004)

 ISBN-10: 1593540418 ISBN-13: 978-1593540418

There has never been a more bucolic farm than Wise Acres. There the sun always shines, the sky is always blue, and the breezes are always gentle. The inhabitants of the barnyard -- an assortment of busy, caring, and totally off-the-wall farm animals -- pass their days peacefully in song, dance, and storytelling. That is, until something goes wrong. Then the animals cannot resist rushing in to help each other -- with hilarious results.
In three episodes noteworthy for their straight-faced humor, George Shannon creates a world of lovable, zany animals who establish a special brand of illogic that children will take to heart, while Deborah Zemke's action-packed portrayals of the Wise Acre antics are as fresh and original as the barnyard creatures themselves.

School Presentations

Through informal lecture, storytelling, and questions to and/from students we explore:

• How our daily lives are the richest source of story ideas
• Receiving, stimulating and shaping ideas
• Linking ideas into story
• What a story is 
• How fiction is true 
• The writing process as discovery
• The satisfying challenge of polishing a story we are eager to share

I have found that 20-30 minutes is a good length for K-l programs. Second and third graders can go 30-45 minutes. Fourth through sixth grade students can easily make an hour disappear. Older students, naturally, have more questions and are more ready to explore writing questions in depth. I strive to help students realize they know more about writing than they think they do, and invite questions from the upper grades.

Smaller groups are always the ideal because they allow more interaction. But larger groups are also manageable. In putting larger groups together I recommend having students group in similar ages and attention spans. This allows me to more effectively reach the students by tailoring my examples, metaphors and similes to their age and interests. An empty library floor is always an excellent location for programs. If groups need to be larger, a clip-on microphone is usually helpful to insure that everyone can hear.

Stipend for one day (6 to 7 presentations): $900 plus expenses.

Contact:

George Shannon
13000 Ellingsen Road
Bainbridge Island, WA

Phone (206) 780-0383
zolizoli@rmi.net

Website: www.georgeshannon.org