119: Spotlight on George Shannon
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Children\\u2019s author George Shannon joins us to read from one of his many inviting tales. The School Library Journal calls Tippy-Toe Chick, Go! a \\u201cwinning choice for storytime,\\u201d and Booklist says its \\u201cmix of tension, sheer fright, and humor is just right.\\u201d Also in this episode, actor and BHS student Evelyn Cantwell chats with George about being a teacher in these pandemic times.
This week\\u2019s episode will also feature the music of Johnny Bregar. An acclaimed kids/family musician, his music has been featured on NPR\\u2019s All Things Considered, Putumayo, XM/Sirius Radio, and ParentMap Magazine.\\xa0 Reviewers from around the country have praised his original songs and arrangements of familiar children\\u2019s songs. He resides on beautiful Bainbridge Island with his wife and two sons, and runs a professional recording studio, where he has recorded five kids/family albums. Instruments are everywhere around the house, and music fills the air. Visit him at https://www.johnnybregar.com/.
GEORGE SHANNON IN HIS OWN WORDS
George as EGEUS in BPA\\u2019s A Midsummer Night\\u2019s Dream, 2015
\\u201cIt feels as though I have always been wrapped in stories and books. My parents read to me, and I in turn read to younger brothers. Books and family stories filled our home, and going to the library was as common as going to the market. I began writing stories when they were given as assignments in elementary school, but I came to enjoy the writing so much I began writing extra ones. Then I wrote even when there was no assignment at all. My dream of making books was so vivid I submitted my first \\u201cformal\\u201d children\\u2019s manuscript to a publisher when I was sixteen. Eleven more years of school, work, reading, writing, and luck finally brought about\\xa0Lizard\\u2019s Song, my first children\\u2019s book to be accepted.\\u201d Keep reading