Shadow » Robie H. Harris, Children's Book Author

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SHADOW

Brubaker, Ford and Friends February 2012

Illustrated by Patrick Benson

One afternoon I took a walk in a city park with a young child, who jumped and hopped and loved it that her shadow followed her every move. But when the sun went down and her shadow disappeared, she became very sad. That night I jotted down some notes about her reactions to her shadow and how she felt about it, fist some fear that morphed into joy. The next morning, as soon as the sun was up, I began to write this story. And once the book was under contract, I was “over-the top” excited when the news came that the brilliant UK illustrator, Patrick Benson, had liked the manuscript and wanted to illustrate it. And although Patrick was someone I had never worked with, I have always been a huge fan of his work, starting with his illustrations for the classic picture book, OWL BABIES, written by the wonderful Martin Waddell. In his art, Patrick really “got” the emotional underpinnings of my story and understood the power a picture book can have on a young child.

Here’s some of what was written in this lovely review of SHADOW by Books For Keeps: “The book is written as if the child is talking and this gives it pace and energy… The illustrator, Patrick Benson of OWL BABIES fame,… convincingly… show(s)… what the shadows would look like as a child might run, tiptoe, twirl and spin. So pictures and language combine to show a young child totally absorbed in playing with his shadow. This book would make a lovely gift as well as deserving a place on any nursery or reception class bookshelf.” Here’s the link to the full review.