Walker, David 1965-

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Walker, David 1965-

Personal

Born 1965. Education: Graduated from University of Kansas.

Addresses

Office—David Walker Studios, 133 Graylyn Dr., Chapel Hill, NC 27516. E-mail—[email protected].

Career

Artist and illustrator. Hallmark Cards, Kansas City, MO, former art director.

Illustrator

Ann Whitford Paul, Little Monkey Says Good Night, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 2003.

Susan Meyers, Puppies! Puppies! Puppies!, Henry Abrams (New York, NY), 2005.

Susan Meyers, Kittens! Kittens! Kittens!, Henry Abrams (New York, NY), 2007.

Claire Masurel, Domino, Candlewick Press (Cambridge, MA), 2007.

Ann Whitford Paul, If Animals Kissed Good Night, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 2008.

Maribeth Boelts, Before You Were Mine, Putnam (New York, NY), 2008.

Andy Hilford and Susan Hilford, The Grandmother Book: A Book about You for Your Grandchild, Andrews McMeel (Kansas City, MO), 2008.

Susan Middleton Elya, No More, Por Favor, Putnam (New York, NY), 2009.

Kim Norman, Crocodaddy, Sterling Publishing (New York, NY), 2009.

Phyllis Root, Flip, Flap, Fly!: A Book for Babies Everywhere, Random House (New York, NY), 2009.

Sidelights

Artist David Walker has contributed the illustrations to a number of picture books for young children. For one project, he teamed with author Ann Whitford Paul on Little Monkey Says Good Night, a humorous picture book about an energetic monkey's misadventures at the circus. When Little Monkey learns that he has to go to bed, he bounds into the Big Top to say good night to each of the performers, leaving chaos in his wake. Walker "presents the mischievous monkey's escapades via soft-edged, slapstick illustrations," noted a contributor in Publishers Weekly, and Marianne Saccardi wrote in School Library Journal that the illustrator's "whimsical cartoon paintings are essential to the enjoyment of the brief text." Walker and Paul also collaborate on If Animals Kissed Good Night, "a charming bedtime book," in the words of School Library Journal contributor Jane Marino. The story shows a host of animals—including pythons, sloths, and walruses—prepar- ing for sleep. "Using soft color, Walker renders the nighttime rituals inventively," Abby Nolan wrote in her Booklist review of the work.

Walker also illustrated Puppies! Puppies! Puppies! and Kittens! Kittens! Kittens!, a pair of works by Susan Meyers that celebrates the enthusiasm of young animals. Reviewing the former in School Library Journal, Piper L. Nyman remarked that Walker's "delightful acrylic illustrations are warm and child friendly," and Ilene Cooper observed in Booklist that the pups have "a stuffed-animal look; kids will want to pick them up and give them a hug." In Kittens! Kittens! Kittens! Walker's soft-toned acrylic paintings give Meyers' text "a warm and fuzzy feeling," related Martha Simpson in School Library Journal.

A youngster adopts a shelter dog after his own pet dies in Before You Were Mine, a poignant story by Maribeth Boelts. Here Walker's "pastel illustrations use a variety of layouts to infuse the story with emotion," Kathleen Odean explained in Booklist. A Kirkus Reviews contributor also praised Boelts's narrative and Walker's illustrations, writing that they "combine to pack a small wallop directly to the hearts" of young readers.

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, April 1, 2005, Ilene Cooper, review of Puppies! Puppies! Puppies!, p. 1359; January 1, 2007, Stephanie Zvirin, review of Kittens! Kittens! Kittens!, p. 115; December 1, 2007, Kathleen Odean, review of Before You Were Mine, p. 47; June 1, 2008, Abby Nolan, review of If Animals Kissed Good Night, p. 88.

Kirkus Reviews, March 15, 2007, review of Kittens! Kittens! Kittens!; September 1, 2007, review of Before You Were Mine.

Publishers Weekly, March 24, 2003, review of Little Monkey Says Good Night, p. 74; March 24, 2008, review of If Animals Kissed Good Night, p. 69.

School Library Journal, July, 2003, Marianne Saccardi, review of Little Monkey Says Good Night, p. 104; August, 2005, Piper L. Nyman, review of Puppies! Puppies! Puppies!, p. 103; March, 2007, Martha Simpson, review of Kittens! Kittens! Kittens!, p. 182; June, 2008, Jane Marino, review of If Animals Kissed Good Night, p. 113.