Janell Cannon is an American

children's author Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. In addition to conventional literary genres, modern children's literature is classified by the intended age of the reade ...

and illustrator. Her first book, '' Stellaluna'' (1993), about a baby fruit bat, has been included in the

National Education Association The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college st ...

and

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, wi ...

's list of 100 best children's books of all time. ''Stellaluna'' has been translated into 30 languages.

Early life and education

Cannon was born in

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 311,527, making it Minnesota's second-most populous city a ...

, the daughter of Burton H. and Nancy A. Cannon. In sixth grade she began painting with acrylics. She attended

Burnsville High School Burnsville High School (BHS) is a four-year public high school in Burnsville, Minnesota, United States. Burnsville is a southern suburb about 15 miles south of Minneapolis. The school is part of Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191, whic ...

, and graduated in 1975.

Career

After high school she moved west and settled in Southern California. From 1981 to 1993 she was a graphic artist for the

Carlsbad Carlsbad may refer to: Geographical locations * Carlsbad, California, San Diego County, United States ** Carlsbad Santa Fe Depot, NRHP ID No. 93001016 * Carlsbad, New Mexico, United States ** Carlsbad Caverns National Park ** Carlsbad Irriga ...

public library.

Works

* '' Stellaluna'' (first Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1993), in several editions , , , , * ''Trupp: A Fuzzhead Tale'', Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1995. * ''Verdi'', Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1997. * ''Crickwing'', Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2000. * ''Little Yau: A Fuzzhead Tale'', Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2002. * ''Pinduli'', Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2004.

Reviews

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is ...

, April 15, 1995, Carolyn Phelan, review of ''Trupp: A Fuzzhead Tale'', p. 1505; April 15, 1997, Susan Dove Lempke, review of ''Verdi'', p. 1434; October 15, 2000, Connie Fletcher, review of ''Crickwing'', p. 434. *

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

, April 1, 1997, review of ''Verdi'', p. 551. *

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

, April 26, 1993, review of ''Stellaluna'', p. 78; February 20, 1995, review of ''Trupp'', p. 204; April 24, 1995, "Queen of the Night," p. 19; February 17, 1997, review of ''Verdi'', p. 219; May 1, 2000, "Going Batty for ''Stellaluna'', " p. 27; August 7, 2000, review of ''Crickwing'', p. 95. *

, June, 1993, Marianne Saccardi, review of ''Stellaluna'', p. 70; July, 1995, Virginia Opocensky, review of ''Trupp'', p. 55; May, 1997, Nina Lindsay, review of ''Verdi'', p. 93; November, 2000, Barbara Buckley, review of ''Crickwing'', p. 110.

References

* "Janell Cannon." ''Major Authors and Illustrators for Children and Young Adults'', 2nd ed., 8 vols. Gale Group, 2002. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 2006

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cannon, Janell Writers from Saint Paul, Minnesota American children's book illustrators Year of birth missing (living people) American children's writers American women children's book illustrators American women children's writers Living people Writers who illustrated their own writing Artists from Saint Paul, Minnesota