I don’t really care for David Shannon books. *gasp*
I find little quality in his writing and the illustrations seem so aggressive. So many people, parents and teachers alike, rave about how much they love his books. Do you really or are you suppose to LOVE his books?
David Shannon stands out, because a lot of his illustrations derived from pictures he drew as a child. His books resemble how life looked as a child. Very cool concept, but I find it’s lacking depth and rhythm and a handful of other storytelling traits.
Unfortunately, Milli is wildly attracted to the images in It’s Christmas, David!. She picked up this story faster than her other picture books. So maybe David Shannon really is on to something.
In the end, I am going to regift this book to another child, mostly to keep our stash fresh. Pick up a David Shannon book and decide for yourself. But first, I’ll let Milli read it one last time:
Are you a David Shannon fan? Are there picture books you really don’t care for? What picture books would you recommend?
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
My kids loved “No, David, No!” which I would consider a classic David Shannon. Especially for my youngest troublemaker I mean son, we liked how it ended with David’s mom assuring him of her love. I am not a fan of his other books, though.
Our all-time fave picture books are Maurice Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are” and Margaret Wise Brown’s “Goodnight Moon.” Other fave’s include Sam McBratney’s “Guess How Much I Love You” and Margaret Park Bridges “Will You Take Care of Me?” and Eastman’s “Go, Dog, Go,” all of which I basically have memorized.
Of course, Eric Carle’s books/illustrations are classic. And Milli is probably ready for Marcus Pfister (“Rainbow Fish”, etc). And Ian Falconer’s “Olivia” books are so fun!
Oh, Jane Yolen’s “How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?” – David Bedford’s “Big Bear, Little Bear” – Russell Hoban’s “Francis” series (classics from the 60′s) – Numeroff’s “If You Give a Moose a Muffin” (etc) – Martin Waddell’s “Can’t You Sleep, Little Bear?” and “Squeak-a-Lot” – Robert Bright’s “Georgie” – the whole Skippyjon Jones series by Judy Schachner (so fun to read with an accent!) – Lobel’s “Frog and Toad Are Friends” …
So many! Can you tell I love this topic?
Wowzers! I’ve found a literature companion. You listed books that meet a wide variety of ages as well. And I’m impressed you can read with accents.
My kids also loved Maurice Sendak’s books; along with the Curious George books and the Berenstain Bear’s series. I would consider the “Frog and Toad” books a classic.
for a little variety I threw in:
Caps for Sale
Harry the Dirty Dog
Corduroy
Millions of Cats
My middle daughter loved the story about a french girl named Madeline so much, that my grand-daughter’s middle name is Madeline.