Nancy Shaw - Children's Author

Cover reproduced by arrangement with Henry
Holt and Company. All rights reserved.

Sheep in Good Company

The sheep have been going places recently, including a Barbara Walters interview with Elton John and David Furnish, and family story time at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where Sheep on a Ship led into Dutch seascapes. They also celebrated their 25th anniversary this past year.

Also, Sheep in a Jeep is part of the new Family Storybook Treasury, a collection of picture-book classics and illustrated poems. The sheep mingle with Curious George, Mike Mulligan, Martha the speaking dog, and more. An audio CD comes with the collection.

Some lively young bloggers interviewed me. Check out Bookie Woogie (January 31)--and explore other books and authors with them, too.

Raccoons in the Spotlight

The sheep have gotten around over the years, and so have the raccoons that made a big splash (literally) in their moonlit prowls. Raccoon Tune had the honor of being a Michigan Reads! children's book. It was great to visit libraries and schools around the state. Because of the importance of early reading and conversation to children's development, Michigan Reads! is about actively engaging young children to enjoy reading. Look here for more about the program.

Click here for Raccoon Tune activities from the Library of Michigan.

It took me 18 years to finish writing Raccoon Tune! I thought I had a good idea, but I got stuck. I put it away for so long I couldn't remember the main point of the plot. After a while, I worked it out. A tune kept going through my head as I tried to get the rhymes arranged.

When it was published, Howard Fine's pictures added to the adventure. Then something more happened--the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra commissioned Joshua Penman to write a concert piece based on my book. His music is much more complex than my tune. The piece, narrated by Amir Levi, brought trash-can-lid percussion and a variety of musical styles to a family concert--to rousing applause.