Getting to Know Shawn Harris Pt. 2

Children’s author-illustrator and Caldecott Medalist Shawn Harris discusses with Taylor Sterling (that’s me!) five books that inspired him while creating his latest picture book, The Teeny-Weeny Unicorn. Shawn talks about his interesting journey into publishing, how he landed his agent, how music influences the orchestration of text and image in a picture book, why thinking about book design is important, and so much more.

Before listening to this conversation, I recommend reading Getting to Know Shawn Harris Pt. 1, which includes pictures and commentary on many of the books we discuss.

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Here’s a preview of Shawn discussing his musical approach to illustrating picture books:

Thanks a lot, Trumpet Club Special Edition, for leaving out the full moon and mountainscape in my copy of The Three Robbers! A special edition, indeed!

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The Books

• Telephone Tales written by Gianni Rodari, illustrated by Valerio Vidali (2020)

• The Wind in the Willows written by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Ernest Shepard (1908)

• You Can’t Kill Snow White by Beatrice Alemagna (2022)

• The Three Robbers by Tomi Ungerer (1961)

• The Wolf, the Duck, and the Mouse written by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen (2017)

• “Iris” from Strange News from Another Star by Hermann Hesse (1919)

• Italian Folktales by Italo Calvino (1956)

• Caldecott & Co. by Maurice Sendak (1988)

Shawn’s Books

• Her Right Foot written by Dave Eggers (2017)

• What Can a Citizen Do? written by Dave Eggers (2018)

• Everyone’s Awake written by Colin Meloy (2020)

• Doing Business (2021)

• A Polar Bear in the Snow written by Mac Barnett (2020)

• The Eyes and the Impossible written by Dave Eggers (2023)

• The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza written by Mac Barnett (2022)

• The First Cat in Space and the Soup of Doom written by Mac Barnett (2023)

• Have You Ever Seen a Flower? (2021)

• The Teeny-Weeny Unicorn (2024)

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  More Moonbow Features

  A Conversation With Jon Klassen

  Books Are Invitations: 5 Books That Shaped K-Fai Steele

  The Fear & Pleasure of Hideous Things

  Helen Hancocks Wants to Eat Cake While Painting Cakes With Maira Kalman

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