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Featured books by
David Shannon
Reading Rockets recommends the following books by David Shannon.
In an attempt to be like everyone else, Camilla stops eating the lima beans she so enjoys. But then she wakes up one morning with a bad case of rainbow stripes, her condition flummoxes her family and doctors, and generates huge media attention. A riot of color adds to the humor in this intriguing and not so subtle look at conformity.
When David gets in trouble, he always says, "No! It's not my fault! I didn't mean to! It was an accident!" Whatever the situation, David has a good excuse. And no matter what he's done "wrong," it's never really his fault. Soon, though, David realizes that making excuses makes him feel bad, and saying he's sorry makes him feel better.
Every teacher dreads a child like David –– trouble seems to follow him wherever he goes. Finally, David’s antics force the teacher to keep him after school to wash the desks. He does the job well, and glows from the praise for his good work. David’s good behavior, though, is sure to be short-lived, and the child-like illustrations portend what will happen the next day.
When Duck decides to try riding a bike, the other farm animals scoff at him – that is, until a group of kids leave their bikes unattended. Expressive illustrations use different perspectives to show the animals gleefully riding the bikes around the barnyard in this imaginative and funny romp.
Baseball and a boy named Georgie Radbourn are the reason that America's perpetual winter came to an end. It was his perseverance and love of baseball that finally cracked failed player Boss Swaggert's hold on the game. Dark hued illustrations evoke a time past and celebrate the triumph of innocence over evil
Jangles is the fish of legendary proportion. He's evaded everything from special lures to dynamite from fishermen on Big Lake. The narrator shares his father's story about Jangles, realistically illustrated in deeply hued colors for a fish tale of gigantic proportion.
"No, David," wails his mother, as David reaches for the cookie jar. "No! No! No!" as he makes a swamp out of the bathroom. "Come back here, David!" as he runs naked down the street. David is an energetic little rascal who is constantly getting into trouble.
"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. There's no end in sight… until the rain stops and the sun comes out. Before they know it, the bickerers are helping each other clean up the mess caused by the ruckus, and everyone's smiling again.
Books illustrated by David Shannon
While building a sandcastle, Jeremy Jacob spies a ship and joins a band of pirates. All goes well until he realizes that pirates don’t get good night kisses and have green teeth and that he has to get to soccer practice! The first person narrative is as lively as the deeply hued, gently humorous illustrations.
Braid Beard's band of pirates has bad teeth, bad breath, and bad manners — and now, in order to get their treasure they have Jeremy Jacob's baby sister with a dirty diaper. Shiver me timbers and aargh! It's enough to gross out a grown pirate! This fantastic adventure is fun, fast — and not a little odiferous.
Everyone knows Paul Bunyan, the larger than life, all-American, woodsman and pioneer. Well, Paul not only had a big, blue ox, he also had a family whose members were certainly up to Paul’s enormous stature. Meet all the Bunyans in this rollicking original tall tale as you travel throughout the United States.
When her older sisters try to convince the Invisible Being's sister that they can see him, they are rebuffed. Only the youngest, whose face and hair is badly scarred from feeding the fires, can answer his questions correctly and see him everywhere. Sophisticated and hauntingly illustrated, experienced readers will see similarities between this Algonquin tale and its familiar European counterpart, "Cinderella".
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