An Original Exhibition Organized by the National Center for Children's

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Docent Notes An Original Exhibition Organized by The National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature, ©2015 Internationally acclaimed picture-book creator David Shannon has always been an artist. 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 and these words: No, David! - the only words he knew how to spell! Many years later, when his mother sent him that book, Shannon was inspired to write and illustrate his now-classic bestseller and Caldecott Honor Book No, David!

In the books he writes, Shannon often uses incidents and people from his own life. His daughter made animal noises before she could talk, so Shannon wrote Duck on a Bike, a story with lots of quacks, moos, oinks, and woofs. His entertaining picture book about a West Highland terrier, Good Boy, Fergus!, features the beloved family dog, and how can anyone with children not guess where Shannon got the idea for Too Many Toys?

In 1993, Shannon published How Georgie Radbourn Saved Baseball, the first book he wrote himself (as an adult!). It was a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year, and in 2011, the Blue Sky Press published it again with a colorful new cover. Since then, he has written and illustrated numerous award-winning, bestselling books, including A Bad Case of Stripes; Alice the Fairy; The Rain Came Down; and three more picture books featuring David: David Gets in Trouble; David Goes to School.; and It’s Christmas, David!

Shannon once again broke new ground with a dramatic but funny “fish tale” called Jangles: A BIG Fish Story. Told by a father to his son, this story is drawn from Shannon’s experiences as an avid fisherman and teller of tales.

Born in Washington, D.C., Shannon grew up in Spokane, Washington. He graduated from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, and then moved to New York City. His illustrations have appeared in a wide variety of publications, including The New York Times, Time, and Rolling Stone. David Shannon’s art has graced a number of book jackets.

David Shannon now lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Heidi and their daughter, Emma. Here is what he had to say on how he became an illustrator- “I had no idea there were all these great stories out there. So, I took another one and another one, and the more children's books I did, the more I realized that was really what I'd always loved to do. When I was a kid, that's what I did. I read books, and I drew pictures of what I saw in my head. So when I read The Hobbit, I drew lots of hobbits and Gandalf. I realized I was drawing the same subject matter that I drew as a kid, with baseball players and pirates and knights and things like that.

When I first began doing children's books, like when I did editorial work, my palette was a lot more muted and dark. It would slowly, but surely, become more colorful. And I just like the colors better. When I'm doing a book, I kind of think of it as directing a little movie. So, I try to make everything in the pictures reinforce the story in some way. And color can do an awful lot with conveying the emotion and mood and tone of the story. If you're doing a sad story, a lot of times bright colors aren't the way to go.” ©Reading Rockets

The following pages will guide you through the exhibit. Most notable in this exhibit are the expression of motion and emotions that David Shannon manages to convey through body lines, and eyes. Also, colors used in the imagery often reflect a sense of drama and convey setting. The pictures in David Shannon’s books talk to children and adults alike.

Working in collaboration with his brother Mark, David recreates this Arthurian tale of courage and love. Gawain is the youngest and most inexperienced knight in King Arthur's court. The gigantic Green Knight interrupts the Yuletide festivities to storm into Camelot challenging Arthur's knights to chop off his head. If he survives, he expects his be-header to seek him out in a year and a day to have his own head chopped off. After being teased by the members of the Round Table, Gawain agrees to meet the challenge of the fearsome Green Knight, with only his courage, his honor, and the sash given to him by his beloved Caryn standing between him and death. Gawain slices off the stranger's head, who then picks it up. The giant survives and calls Gawain to a meeting a year hence. He leaves with his bloody head, reminding the young man to keep his word. Gawain travels long to find the appointed spot, enduring fierce winter weather before finding shelter in a castle. There he resists the offer of an allegedly magic sash. The Green Knight therefore withholds his blow, telling him, "You were true to the mysteries of your own heart." This story dates back 1,000 years in Celtic lore as a Cuchulain tale, and Gawain emerged as the hero in an anonymous 14th-century epic.

Day after day Gawain spurred his horse, Gringolet, onward, and night after night he survived in the icy cold. Gawain is on his way to the Green Chapel.

How Georgie Radbourn Saved Baseball,©1994, cover reprinted in 2012, Acrylic Chosen as a The New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book, How Georgie Radbourn Saved Baseball was the very first book David Shannon wrote and illustrated himself. Using his vast experience as an editorial illustrator, Shannon told an expressive, emotional tale of a time when spring no longer existed, and it was always winter in America. Why? Because an angry dictator declared baseball illegal, and once-happy citizens fell into a dull pace of endless ice, snow, factories, and drudgery. After being booed and jeered by the home crowd during a terrible slump, Boss Swaggert storms off the field never to play baseball again, vowing that someday the sport would be declared illegal. Becoming rich and powerful over the years, he buys up the media and extols the evils of the game. Eventually, having all of America believing him, he has the president arrested for "Conspiracy to Commit Baseball" for throwing out the first ball of the season, declares himself Chief Executive Officer of America, and outlaws the game. Without baseball, spring never comes and the winter months turn slowly into freezing years. Enter Georgie Radbourn, who inexplicably utters sayings about baseball every time he opens his mouth and ends up on trial before his 10th birthday. This eventually leads to a showdown between him and Swaggert, and a happy ending ensues. As David recollects, this book was perfect as it combined two of his favorite things to do, baseball and paint. Back then, David was doing dark editorial work which suited the subject of the book. To do a baseball book was a fantasy come true. Growing up, he wanted to be a baseball player, and be an artist part- time. Now, he plays on a soft ball league while he paints full time.

On the right is the original cover of the book released in 1994, while the one on the left and included in the show is the new cover, redone in 2012

Note the differences in the perspective, colors and Georgie’s body language.

The showdown- between Georgie Radbourn and Boss Swaggert.

The Amazing Christmas Extravaganza, © 1995, Acrylic Experiencing hurt dignity when neighbor Mr. Clack sneers at the Merriweather family's single strand of lights, Mr. Merriweather goes on a frenzy of holiday house decorating that escalates out of control with cutout reindeer, giant candy canes, and more. It causes him to alienate his neighbors, forget his devoted family, and lose sight of Christmas.

Mr. Merriweather gathered up his kids and drove the station wagon to five big department stores. He bought so many Christmas decorations that he couldn’t close the tailgate.

Mr. Merriweather, flushed with compliments on how beautiful his house looked, took to adding more decorations!

Title page Written by Jane Yolen, this is an unusual ballad of pirate adventure that sings the history of Anne Bonney and Mary Reade, the only 2 women of the 12 pirates aboard the Vanity. They defend the ship from the men of the governor's man-o'-war, Albion, while their captain and the rest of the crew were below drinking rum and playing cards. These females are absolutely the best and bravest of this bad lot. The Vanity is taken; all are brought to trial, but Anne and Mary escape hanging by "pleading their bellies" - claiming they are pregnant.

Copán: Sacred Aztec Written by Jane Yolen, this book is a collection of poems which takes you on a journey of sacred sites such as Easter Island and the Mayan temple of Copán to Jerusalem’s Wailing Wall and the Christian cathedrals of Europe.

A Bad Case of Stripes, ©1998, Acrylic Camilla Cream worries too much about what others think of her and tries desperately to please everyone. First stripes, then stars and stripes, and finally anything anyone suggests (including tree limbs, feathers, and a tail) appear vividly all over her body. The solution: lima beans, loved by Camilla, but disdained for fear they'll promote unpopularity with her classmates. ‘The story started with a single idea, really. I woke up one morning and thought, “Wouldn't it be weird if instead of chicken pox you got stripes?” And then I had to figure out what the rest of the story would be.’

Here is what David has to say about Marshmallows or lima beans? “Oh, I hate lima beans. And I think most kids do. That was actually the last thing that changed in that story. Originally, the cure was marshmallows, just because they're yummy. She just ate something because it was yummy, and it cured her. Then my editor and I were discussing the ending, and we decided it would work better if we could come up with something that most people hated, but that she liked. That would be a more effective ending for the story. So, I thought, you know, "Lima beans, of course." For kids, that's the international symbol of food hatred – lima beans. So I called my editor and told her. She said, "Well, why lima beans?" I said, "Because everybody hates them." And she said, "They do?" It turned out that she'd always loved lima beans her whole life and had no idea that kids couldn't stand them. She didn't believe me. So she took a poll around the office, and called back and said, "Okay. You're right. Everyone hates them." ©Reading Rockets

Media Frenzy The T.V. news had found out about Camilla and reporters from every channel were camped outside her house telling the story of “The Bizarre Case of the Incredible Changing Kid.” What else do you see in the picture apart from reporters? Do you see a Westie named Fergus!

The Creams were swamped with all kinds of remedies from psychologists, allergists, herbalists, nutritionists, psychics and so on. Every cure, however only added to Camilla’s strange appearance until it was hard to even recognize her. She sprouted roots, berries, crystals, feathers and even a long furry tail.

One day, a woman who called herself an Environmental Therapist claimed she could cure Camilla. She asked her to close her eyes, breathe deeply and be one with her room! Oh, NO!

No, David!, ©1998, Acrylic “I made the original No, David! when I was a little kid. Then I saw it later and my mom had saved it, and I decided, "You know, this could make a good children's book." It had this sort of gut appeal to the kid that was still the kid inside me. The only words in it were "no" and "David." So, I felt, "Well, 32 pages of 'no' and 'David' – that's going to get a little monotonous." I wanted to expand on the text, so I tried all sorts of different things. And what emerged was this idea of these timeless ways moms have of saying "no." My mom and my mom's mom, and my mom's mom's mom have always said, "Don't play with your food," and things like that.

At first I drew David more realistically, like I draw some of my other books. And it just sat there. It just didn't have any of the charm or energy of the original. So, I went back to the original, and I tried drawing more like a five-year-old. And, all of a sudden, he just jumped off the page and started picking his nose. But all the things like the pointy teeth and the hair and his little, round body – that's all from the original. The way the type is kind of scrawled – that's from the original. Whenever I got stuck on how to do anything, I just went back to the original and said, "Well, how did the five-year-old do it?"~ David Shannon

Cover Title page

David Goes to School., ©1999, Acrylic David's teacher has her hands full. From running in the halls to chewing gum in class, David's antics fill each school day with trouble! Blue line paper has been used as a metaphor to symbolize David has a hard time staying in line. When asked by Bookpage, “No, David! was written to celebrate familiar phrases that most children hear. What prompted you to write David Goes to School?” David replied, “Well, I'd had so much fun with No, David!, and while I was working on that, the idea to take it to the next level of authority started germinating; I wanted to keep going with this character. In David Goes to School, there's that same dynamic of things that kids do at school, and the no phrases that teachers use -- just like the no phrases that Mom uses -- seem to be timeless and universal.” Did you find Fergus? Look closely at the graffiti on the desk.

"You're tardy!" "David, raise your hand!" "PAY ATTENTION!"

The Rain Came Down, ©2000, Acrylic "On Saturday morning, the rain came down. It made the chickens squawk." But that's only the beginning. Before the sun comes out again, an entire neighborhood is in a crabby uproar. The owner of the beauty parlor squabbles with the barber, who argues with the painter, who has just accidentally bonked the barber in the head with his paint can. Then the baker unintentionally pokes the pizza man in the nose with his umbrella, and they start quarreling. Soon, "the whole block was honking, yelling, bickering, and barking." There's no end in sight... until the rain stops, the sun comes out, the air smells fresh and sweet, and a rainbow appears. Before they know it, the bickerers are helping each other clean up the mess caused by the ruckus, and everyone's smiling again.

The man yelled at the dog

The Shark God, ©2001, Acrylic Martin and Shannon (who paired up for The Rough-Face Girl) set an old Hawaiian tale about a shark who saves a family against a backdrop of images of ancient Polynesia. A brother and sister free a shark caught in a net and beat the news of their success out on the king's drum, a violation punishable by death. Answering their parents' pleas for justice, the powerful Shark God destroys the island kingdom with an immense tidal wave, delivering the children and their parents to a new home across the sea.

Beseeching the King Mean Village

The Storm The sky grew dark and the wind began to blow.

I was hungry! “He's sort of an accidental anarchist, and that's a big part of his personality; he's not a mean-spirited kid, he just doesn't think. Or he goes too far. A lot of kids go through that.” ~ David Shannon

Duck on a Bike, ©2002, Acrylic A humorous story of a duck who decides to try riding a bike--and loves it! One day down on the farm, Duck got a wild idea. "I bet I could ride a bike," he thought. He waddled over to where the boy parked his bike, climbed on and began to ride. At first he rode slowly and he wobbled a lot, but it was fun! Duck rode past Cow and waved to her. "Hello, Cow!" said Duck. "Moo," said Cow. But what she thought was, "A duck on a bike? That's the silliest thing I've ever seen!" And so Duck rides past sheep, horse, and all the other barnyard animals. Suddenly, a group of kids ride by on their bikes and run into the farmhouse, leaving the bikes outside. Now ALL the animals can ride bikes, just like Duck!

“My notebooks are filled with little doodles and half ideas and titles. Sometimes just a title will be the start of a story. That's what happened with Duck on a Bike. I wanted to do a story with animal noises because at the time, my daughter, Emma, was just learning how to talk. She was really good at making animal noises. So I was thinking about that while I was taking a hike one day. Someone rode by on a bike just as I was thinking about a duck. And I thought, “Duck on a bike? That's funny.” So I wrote it in my notebook. That made me think of more ideas about a duck on a bike, and I wrote them down too. Pretty soon, I had a whole story.

So she's aware that I'm making these books. And if we're reading one of mine, I'll start by saying, "Duck on a Bike by…" And she'll say, "By Daddy!" And if we go into a bookstore, she's my little salesman: "Here. Buy this. My daddy made it." It's kind of embarrassing.

Title page "Then Duck rode past Cat."

How I Became a Pirate, ©2003, Pencil Young Jeremy Jacob is plucked from obscurity while innocently constructing a sand castle and is thrust into a brand-new life as a pirate. Captain Braid Beard and his crew recognize Jeremy as an exceptionally talented digger and they happen to be in desperate need of a digger to help them bury a treasure chest. Jeremy thinks a pirate life sounds like fun, as long as he’s back the next day in time for soccer practice, and so he goes along with the ragtag group of seafaring thugs -with hearts of gold. And while Jeremy adores the pirates’ lack of table manners and opposition to vegetables, he comes to realize that a life away from his parents lacks some of the niceties to which he’s become accustomed- nobody tucks him in at night or the only book available to read is a treasure map. He tries to teach the pirates to play soccer, at least until the ball gets swallowed by a shark. When a storm hits, forcing the crew to return to shore, Jeremy solves the dilemma of where to bury the treasure--- in his own backyard. He even makes it home in time for soccer practice. Can you find Fergus in this book?

Concept sketch of all the pirates Jeremy Jacob- Concept sketches

An interview by David Shannon from Harcourt books:

Q: You seem to use elements of caricature without making any character appear entirely unrealistic. How do you accomplish this? A: I'm not really sure. It's just how I pictured the characters in my head. The drawing aspect of the pictures is pretty silly and distorted, but the rendering or painting of the drawings is more realistic. I wanted the pirates to be funny, but I also wanted them to be cool-looking and "piratey."

Q: Your artwork is very colorful. Do you consciously plan the spatial arrangement and the use of color in your illustrations, or do design and color flow naturally and unconsciously onto the canvas? A: Composition and color usually entail a large amount of conscious planning. I try to make every element of a picture reinforce the story as a single painting, and as a part of the whole book, so a lot of thought goes into the perspective, viewpoint, color, and tone of each piece. Sometimes I get lucky and the picture seems to just pop right out, but other times I really have to hack away at it until it works.

Q: The image in which the pirates are crowded into a dinghy calls to mind, the painting Washington Crossing the Delaware. And toward the end of the book there is an illustration of Jeremy waving farewell to the sailors while standing onshore, which also somehow seems nostalgic. Do you refer to other works of art for inspiration? A: I don't generally use specific pieces for inspiration. You can probably tell I'm a big fan of N. C. Wyeth, but I'm influenced by all kinds of stuff (and not just pictures): movies, music, whatever. Mostly it just comes out unconsciously. I once did a poster for a Broadway show called Accidental Death of an Anarchist. The image was kind of a nutty-looking human time bomb, with sticks of dynamite for arms and legs, and a clock timer with a face on it for the head. The face always seemed familiar to me, but it wasn't until several years later that I realized it resembled Grandfather Clock from Captain Kangaroo!

Q: How difficult was it for you to develop the initial paintings of each character? Was it any easier to paint subsequent scenes? A: I drew a bunch of character studies to begin with, so I knew what the characters looked like, but the first few paintings took a long time to finish because I had to figure out what color everything was. There were all these group scenes of the pirates, and I had to figure out how to make all the colors work together and emphasize the right part of each picture. One thing I did was take photocopies of the sketches and roughly indicate what color everything was. But you can't really tell until you start painting, and sometimes I had to go back and change earlier paintings.

Q: What do you find to be the most fun—and the most rewarding—illustration techniques? Did this book afford you an opportunity to apply any of them? A: I like to have fun when I illustrate a book—with the characters, the story, pushing paint around. Some books have been more fun to work on than others, but I had a blast with this one

Q: In an interview, you once said, "The words tell one part of the story and the pictures tell another part." How does that perspective apply to this book? A: First of all, I had a terrific story to work with in Melinda's words. There are all kinds of childhood fantasies and realities contained in her story. I tried to emphasize and expand on those kinds of things—wouldn't it be fun to have a pillow fight with big ol' pirates, but can you imagine how smelly and uncomfortable it would be to sleep over at their house? And of course, I wanted to bring Jeremy and the pirates to life visually and give each of them lots of individual personality—my daughter and I even named them.

Q: How would you describe the difference between your illustrations in How I Became a Pirate and those in No, David!? A: The drawing style in No, David! is more childlike and simple and in general the pieces are looser and more spontaneous. No David! left a lot of room for "happy accidents." For instance, I could smear some paint on an illustration, and decide it looked good! How I Became a Pirate required more realism and detail to tell the story—specific settings, costumes, action—but that was fun. I mean, after all, they're pirates! ©Harcourt books

Alice the Fairy, ©2004, Acrylic Alice has a nose for trouble, but luckily she's a fairy--a Temporary Fairy. She has a magic wand, fairy wings, and a blanket, all of which she uses to disappear, to fly, to transform her dad into a horse, and to turn his cookies into her own! There are still a few things Alice needs to learn to become a Permanent Fairy, like how to float her dog on the ceiling and make her clothes put themselves away, but she's working on it--sort of. Alice speaks for herself, claiming she can fly (not too high but really fast), can change her dad into a horse (for a horsey ride), can make herself disappear (by flicking off the light switch with her wand), and can turn oatmeal into cake by pouring on fairy dust (sugar). There are elements of danger, such as broccoli poisoned by the wicked Duchess (Mom) and baths (fairies hate baths), as well as mischief ("…my mom made cookies for my dad. So, I turned them into mine"), and mishaps ("Once I accidentally turned my white dress into a red one"). Alice knows that Permanent fairyhood requires a lot of tests, attending Advanced Fairy School, and learning how to "make clothes get up off the floor and… line up in the closet," so she'll "probably be a Temporary fairy forever."

This is a true story! Emma, David Shannon’s daughter, was a fairy one Halloween. She wore the costume day-in and day-out! Words in the text are also those that Emma uttered!

Alice Cover "Sometimes I use my wand to disappear. But that’s kind of scary. I'd rather use my blanket!"

“One time my mom made cookies from my dad. So I turned them into mine."

Good Boy, Fergus!, ©2006, Acrylic Fergus was a West Highland terrier, who lived in the Shannon household for 19 years. His favorite thing to do was to wear a red raincoat and eat ice cream on his birthday! If David was always, “It just happens; I didn’t mean to do that.” then Fergus has the expression of, “Who me? What now? What are you going to do?” Fergus goes wild when he sees a cat, won't come when he's called, eats the daisies, and puddles in the wrong places. Of course, he's not entirely to blame; his unseen master is the sort who tells him not to beg, then slips him a tidbit, and puts whipped cream in his food bowl after the original offering gets only a disdainful sniff. This book gives a glimpse of what Fergus was like.

David Shannon with Fergus

Pirates Don't Change Diapers, ©2007, Acrylic on Illustration board This companion book to How I Became a Pirate reveals that minding the nursery can be even more terrifying than walking the plank--especially if you're a pirate! Jeremy Jacob, supposed-to-be babysitter, is distracted from keeping an eye on his snoozing sister by the boisterous, baby-wakening arrival of Captain Braid Beard and his men, who have come in search of the treasure formerly entrusted to our suburban buccaneer. They need his help to find their loot, and he needs their help to mind Bonney Anne. Unfortunately, pirates are unfamiliar with nappies, and num-nums, and naptimes, so there are a lot of funny faux pas and hysterical, histrionic looks— particularly when it's discovered that the baby's made a snack of the all-important X-marks-the-spot map. All's well that ends well, though: the brigands' booty is recovered, and their reward to Jeremy Jacob will become the birthday gift he wraps up for his mom.

Fergus also makes an appearance in this book, but because it was published by another publisher (not the one who did the Fergus or How I became a Pirate) he is well hidden! Did you find him?

That’s how the pirates became babysitters.

Pirates mistake Jeremy Jacob’s suggestion to rock his baby sitter to quieten and put her back to sleep literally! The crew cheered loudly, “Rock on!” while Jeremy Jacob groaned, “Not that kind of rock, Use the rocking chair.”

Too Many Toys, ©2008, Acrylic Spencer has too many toys! They spill from closets, cascade down staircases, and generally occupy him and frustrate his parents in equal measure. His father trips over them, his mother falls over them, and the house is overflowing with junk. Litigious negotiations ensue between the parents and Spencer. It’s been decided and now it’s time to give some of the mountain of goodies away, but Spencer finds it hard. In the end, he fills a box, but decides the one toy he can't part with- the box!

A true story, and every parent’s grief- too many toys around the house! We seem to give toys for every and any occasion. As David says, “Be it waking on time in the morning, eating their peas, birthdays, un-birthdays!” That’s what happened with Emma. This book grew out of this experience. He was tired of stumbling on her toys everywhere.

Cover

Spencer liked to make his toys into a parade that stretched from one corner of the house to the other and back again! David had the best time painting all these toys, some of which belong to his daughter Emma, and some he had fun inventing. Did you spot Fergus among these toys? It usually takes David eight months to a year to finish a book. He works anywhere from five hours to 12 hour days when he is in the middle of a project. This particular painting took him days! Once he is done painting all the pictures for the book, he lays them out on the floor to check for continuity. If he doesn’t like a piece, he redoes it again. David says if he is not satisfied or if he feels he could have done better, it will eat him up and bother him for every.

THAT’S A LOT OF …. Spencer the lawyer- Earnest negotiations for which toys to keep and which go ensue between Spencer and his mother.

Robot Zot!, ©2009, Acrylic Written by Jon Scieszka, Robot Zot is a tale of a quixotic robot determined to conquer the earth. The only problem is that the earth he lands on is a suburban kitchen and he is three inches tall. Robot Zot, the fearless and unstoppable warrior, leaves a trail of destruction as he encounters blenders, toasters, and televisions. But when he discovers the princess...a pink cell phone...his mission takes a new course. Robot Zot must learn how to be a hero - in the name of true love.

Cover art Three inches tall is Robot Zot Bird’s eye view

Zot vs. The Appliances “Take that!” beeps Zot. Zot leaps to the attack. Battling the blender. Worm’s eye view

Young Man and the Sea, ©2009, Acrylic This is a story of determination and survival. Twelve-year-old Skiff Beaman's mom just died, and his fisherman dad is too depressed to drag himself off the couch and go to work. So these days Skiff has to take care of everything himself. But when his dad's boat sinks, Skiff discovers it will cost thousands to buy a new engine. Skiff's lobster traps won't earn him enough, but there are bigger fish in the sea -- Bluefin tuna. If he can catch one of those monster fish, Skiff just might save the boat -- and his family

Cover art

It's Christmas, David!, ©2010, Acrylic Temptations abound as the beloved David attempts to track down hidden presents, snitches cookies, presents his lengthy wish list to Santa, and stays up late with his face pressed up against the window on Christmas Eve.

Cover art “Those are not toys!” “Who can resist the lure of pretty looking ornaments? To children, it’s a torture not to be able to touch them.” ~ David Shannon

"Santa's watching, David!" "Go to bed, David!"

Exaggerated tales about “the gigantic fish that got away” have been making people laugh for centuries, and some of the best have been passed on from generation to generation. This original story about a boy who manages to catch Jangles, the biggest and the most elusive fish anyone has ever seen was born out of David Shannon’s love for fishing. An avid fisherman, David is always on the look out for a fishing trip when he travels.

Big Lake is the home of Jangles, the biggest fish anyone has seen. Fishing alone at dusk, a boy feels a tug on his line and comes face-to-face with the gigantic trout--whose enormous jaw is covered with so many lures and fish hooks that he jingles and jangles when he swims. Terrified by the sight, the boy is shocked when Jangles befriends him and takes him on an adventure to the bottom of the lake.

Title page

This big! - Little boy showing how big the Jangles was!

When I was a kid, Jangles was the biggest fish anyone had ever seen- or heard! Jangles had broken so many fishing lines that his huge crooked jaw was covered with shiny metal lures and rusty old fishhooks of all shapes and sizes. They clinked and clattered as he swam. That is why he was called Jangles.

But he didn’t seem to care much for the taste of kids. People have seen Jangles save a baby from drowning once!

Everyone wanted to catch Jangles. They held big tournaments with lots of prize money, they tried all sorts of baits but no one could reel him in. He was too smart, too strong and lived deep down in the middle of the lake.

One fellow even tried dynamite.

Finally, the boy and Jangles came to a cave in the deepest part of the lake.

“Then Jangles told me stories.”

Last page. “That’s when my dad stopped telling his story and gave me his tackle box. It was full to the top with shiny metal lures and rusty old fish hooks of all shapes and sizes.

Bugs in my Hair!, ©2013, Mixed media Lice! Lice! Lice! A funny telling of a personal experience, this books exalts every child’s terror at being diagnosed with the itchy little bugs. “There were BUGS!” an unnamed red-haired boy reports. “In my HAIR!! And they were laying EGGS!!!” “Oh, the SHAME! The humiliation!” cries the boy as he endures school, wondering not only if everyone knows but also how he caught the plague—from a hug? a hat? his dog? (Facts in the book are marked with asterisks: “Relax. Dogs don’t get head lice.”) And ultimately the grueling removal procedure, from zero tolerance laundry to medicated oil and to a nit comb is depicted, with the combing apocalypse of lice.

"Oh, the SHAME! The Humiliation!..."

"I wondered how I got lice." Do you see Fergus?

"Lice are really hard to get rid of. It was like they took over our whole life"

"OH, NO! THEY'RE BACK!"

Hiawatha is a brave Mohawk warrior who has lost his family in battle and wants revenge against the evil Chief who has provoked fighting among the five Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) tribes. But then one day the Peacemaker appears. He is a prophet who wishes to unite the warring tribes. He chooses Hiawatha you help him communicate his message of peace: a new law that will not only change the ways of the Iroquois people forever but also transform Hiawatha’s own mind and heart.

Hiawatha and the peacemaker were thought to have lived in the fourteenth century, before Europeans traveled to North America. The Peacemaker, whose birth name was Deganawida, was a spiritual leader, known for his sacred powers. Historians believe, that he had speech impairment, and that he chose Hiawatha to accompany him as Hiawatha was a gifted speaker.

Character sketches done in pencil on tracing (Acetate) paper

Title page

Hiawatha sketch and finished- I took shelter up the river. The scene is after Hiawatha lost his family. He is sitting by a small fire and had only a small place to sleep. Days, and weeks went by, and Hiawatha continued to be consumed by anger, hunger and sleeplessness at his loss. All he could think of was revenge.

The sun rose early morning and burnt the mist off the river Soon after, it was as if a path cleared and a blinding reflection came off the water, and from it a man paddled gently toward Hiawatha in a stone canoe.

And so I, Hiawatha, came to tell the story of the great Peacemaker The man was a Peacemaker and asked Hiawatha to travel with him and help him carry his message of peace.

An elder Clan Mother approached the circle of Chiefs, with four younger women by her side.

Together we paddled as four nations

Tadodaho- character sketch in pencil and the finished painting Wicked Tadodaho lived separately from his people…. Hunched over, withered, and twisted, Tadodaho was a horrifying sight. Sickness from the evil within had taken over his body. Scales covered much of his skin, and snakes slithered through his hair and onto his shoulders. No words came out from his mouth; instead, a forked tongue produced a thick hissing sound.

As I looked at Tadodaho, the scales on his skin began to disappear. Tadodaho being transformed- from an evil being, to someone kinder and gentler. Finding Fergus

Hi! I am Fergus, a West Highland Terrier and a member of David Shannon’s family for 19 years. David wrote a book about me and I also appear in most of his books. Sometimes, I am hidden and sometimes, you can find me easily.

Do you want to go on a hunt--- Finding Fergus hunt? You have to find me using the clues below. If you cannot find me, find a museum staff member and they will help you.

Before we begin, remember I am in most of the books, not necessarily in the pictures on the wall!

 I have heard more times than I can count, “No, David!” this time I watched him by the fire hydrant running down the street!

 David loves to draw and when he goes to school, it’s no different.

 David is always getting into trouble and now he is also eating my food!

 It’s now almost Christmas and I am still by the fire hydrant watching David run down the street, only this time with his mittens, and then oh wait…. What’s he writing in the snow?

 It was a long, long ago that two children a brother and sister, tried to find someone to help them save a shark.

 My favorite thing when the rain comes down? Wear my red raincoat, go for a walk and hope there is no one blocking the traffic down the street.

 Emma loves reading to us.

 The farm animals want to ride a bicycle, the red one. Do you know what’s special about it?

 One can never have too many toys, and Spencer loves to get us all in a parade.

 Have you seen Robot Zot battle? I was there and saw it all, Zot victorious and the disappearance of Earth’s most fearsome Commander General.

 Camilla had a case of bad stripes. You should have seen the media frenzy. Nothing would cure her until an old lady came with a bag of lima beans. All Camilla wanted was to eat her lima beans! All was right when she had some.

 I am sure you have seen many a lure in the tackle box, but never as handsome as this!

 Jeremy Jacob became of the pirates, and drew a map so they could find the hidden treasure when they needed it.

 Jeremy Jacob’s map will surely lead them to the treasure, or will it? When the pirate crew turns up at Jeremy Jacob’s house and accidently wakes his baby sister, she howls louder than a storm on the high seas. Nobody’s digging up any treasure until Bonney Anne quits her caterwauling and I get to watch it all!

 Who likes bugs? No one does. You can get them in your hair from anywhere, so don’t point your fingers at me?

Want to learn how to draw me- Fergus?

Draw a semi-circle Connect semi-circle to a Using circles and lines, sideways oval. Add two add eyes, eyebrows, curved lines. nose, and mouth.

Draw two triangles for ears and add lines for fur Connect a big oval to the head. Connect two semi Add two feet and tail circles to large oval for legs.

Draw front legs Add lines for fur Draw collar