Mcnicholas, Shelagh

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Mcnicholas, Shelagh

Personal

Born in Liverpool, England; children: Molly. Hobbies and other interests: Drawing, painting.

Addresses

Home and office—Surrey, England. Office—66 Kings Road, Surbiton, Surrey KT6 5JF, England. E-mail—[email protected].

Career

Illustrator.

Illustrator

Johanna Spyri, Heidi, abridged edition, Armada, 1978.

Rachel Anderson, Jessy Runs Away, A. & C. Black (London, England), 1988.

Hazel Townson, The Moving Statue, Anderson (London, England), 1989.

Tony Bradman, Gerbil Crazy!, Viking (London, England), 1990.

Rachel Anderson, Best Friends, A. & C. Black (London, England), 1991.

Marjorie Darke, Emma's Monster, Walker (London, England), 1992.

Carol Watson and Janet de Saulles, 500 Really Useful Spanish Words and Phrases, Franklin Watts (London, England), 1993.

Rachel Anderson, Jessy and the Long-Short Dress, A. & C. Black (London, England), 1993.

Betsy Duffey, Lucky's Christmas, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1994.

Keith Gaines, The See-Saw, Heinemann Educational (Oxford, England), 1996.

Peter Clover, Race against Time, Hodder's Children (London, England), 1998.

Hanna Mortimer, Physical and Co-Ordination Difficulties, Scholastic (Leamington Spa, England), 2002.

Carol Watson and Janet de Saulles, Lets Learn Spanish, Zigzag (London, England), 2002.

Jenny Alexander, This House Is Too Small!, Pearson Education (Harlow, England), 2003.

Adèle Geras, The Ballet Class, Orchard (London, England), 2003, published as Time for Ballet, Dial Books for Young Readers (New York, NY), 2004.

Frances Mary Hendry, Angel Dancer, Barrington Stoke (Edinburgh, Scotland), 2004.

(With Nilesh Mistry) Susanna Davidson, The Usborne Ballet Treasury, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2004.

Dave Hanson, We're Going Camping, Franklin Watts (London, England), 2004, Sea-to-Sea (Mankato, MN), 2006.

Jane Bidder, When Your Dad Was Little, Franklin Watts (London, England), 2004.

Jane Bidder, When Your Mum Was Little, Franklin Watts (London, England), 2004.

Jane Bidder, When Your Grandad Was Little, Franklin Watts (London, England), 2004.

Jane Bidder, When Your Gran Was Little, Franklin Watts (London, England), 2004.

Lynne Gibbs, A Word about Ballet, Brighter Child (Columbus, OH), 2005.

Lynne Gibbs, A Word about Gymnastics, Brighter Child (Columbus, OH), 2005.

Susanna Davidson and Katie Daynes, Little Ballet Treasury, Usborne (London, England), 2006.

Hilary Robinson, The Little Match Girl, Franklin Watts (London, England), 2006.

Fiona Watt and Lesley Danson, Happy Baby, Usborne (London, England), 2007.

Little Ballerina Dancing Book, Usborne (London, England), 2007.

Fiona Watt, Hop, Skip, and Jump, Usborne (London, England), 2007.

Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland, Parragon (London, England), 2007.

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, The Perfect Pony, Dial Books for Young Readers (New York, NY), 2007.

Adèle Geras, Little Ballet Star, Dial Books for Young Readers (New York, NY), 2008.

Beth Shoshan, In a Minute, Meadowside Books (London, England), 2008.

Also illustrator of books, including Jacqueline O'Donohoe's It's Me! It's Me!, Blackwater Press (Ireland); Frank L. Baum's The Wizard of Oz, Parragon (London, England); Susanna Davidson and Katie Daynes' Princess Treasury, Usborne (London, England); Dave Hanson's We're Going Camping, Franklin Watts (London, England); Sue Graves's I Wish!, Franklin Watts; Katherine Sully's Crab's New Shell, Parragon; and Catherine Sully's Cub's Secret Den.

Books featuring McNicholas's illustrations have been translated into Welsh.

ILLUSTRATOR; "ANIMAL ARK" SERIES

Lucy Daniels, Kittens in the Kitchen, Knight (London, England), 1994, Barron's Educational Series (Hauppauge, NY), 1996.

Lucy Daniels, Puppies in the Pantry, Hodder Children's (London, England), 1994, Barron's Educational Series (Hauppauge, NY), 1996.

Lucy Daniels, Goat in the Garden, Hodder Children's (London, England), 1994, Barron's Educational Series (Hauppauge, NY), 1996.

Lucy Daniels, Hedgehogs in the Hall, Hodder Children's (London, England), 1994, Barron's Educational Series (Hauppauge, NY), 1996.

Lucy Daniels, Badger in the Basement, Hodder Children's (London, England), 1994, Barron's Educational Series (Hauppauge, NY), 1996.

Lucy Daniels, Cub in the Cupboard, Hodder Children's (London, England), 1994, Barron's Educational Series (Hauppauge, NY), 1996.

Lucy Daniels, Piglet in a Playpen, Hodder Children's (London, England), 1994, Barron's Educational Series (Hauppauge, NY), 1996.

Lucy Daniels, Owl in the Office, Hodder Children's (London, England), 1994, Barron's Educational Series (Hauppauge, NY), 1995.

Lucy Daniels, Bunnies in the Bathroom, Hodder Children's (London, England), 1995, Barron's Educational Series (Hauppauge, NY), 1996.

Lucy Daniels, Donkey on the Doorstep, Hodder Children's (London, England), 1995, Barron's Educational Series (Hauppauge, NY), 1996.

Lucy Daniels, Sheepdog in the Snow, Barron's Educational Series (Hauppauge, NY), 1996.

Lucy Daniels, Goose on the Loose, Hodder Children's (London, England), 1996.

Lucy Daniels, Cat in the Cottage, Hodder Children's (London, England), 1996.

Lucy Daniels, Kittens in the Cold, Hodder Children's (London, England), 1996.

Lucy Daniels, Koalas in a Crisis, Hodder Children's (London, England), 1996.

Lucy Daniels, Wombat in the Wild, Hodder Children's (London, England), 1996.

Lucy Daniels, Roo on the Rock, Hodder Children's (London, England), 1996.

Lucy Daniels, Squirrels in the School, Hodder Children's (London, England), 1996.

Lucy Daniels, Lamb in the Laundry, Barron's Educational Series (Hauppauge, NY), 1996.

Lucy Daniels, Pony on the Porch, Barron's Educational Series (Hauppauge, NY), 1996.

Lucy Daniels, Fawn in the Forest, Hodder Children's (London, England), 1997.

ILLUSTRATOR; "FIRST-HAND SCIENCE" SERIES

Lynn Huggins-Cooper, Weather, Franklin Watts (London, England), 2003, Smart Apple Media (North Mankato, MN), 2005.

Lynn Huggins-Cooper, Minibeasts, Franklin Watts (London, England), 2003, Smart Apple Media (North Mankato, MN), 2005.

Lynn Huggins-Cooper, Materials, Franklin Watts (London, England), 2003, Smart Apple Media (North Mankato, MN), 2003.

Lynn Huggins-Cooper, Water, Franklin Watts (London, England), 2003, Smart Apple Media (North Mankato, MN), 2005.

Lynn Huggins-Cooper, Seashore, Franklin Watts (London, England), 2003, Smart Apple Media (North Mankato, MN), 2005.

Lynn Huggins-Cooper, Plants and Flowers, Franklin Watts (London, England), 2003, Smart Apple Media (North Mankato, MN), 2005.

Adaptations

The "Animal Ark" books were adapted as a British television series.

Sidelights

Prolific British artist Shelagh McNicholas specializes in illustrating children; as she noted on her home page, "I am happiest when surrounded by children in their own

little worlds, sketching them just being themselves, never spending more than seconds on catching the pose or scenario." Working primarily in watercolor and pencil, McNicholas has created art for books by writers such as Lucy Daniels, Adèle Geras, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, Susanna Davidson, and Lynne Gibbs. Her works have been published in both her native England and North America, and she is perhaps best known as the illustrator of Daniels's popular "Animal Ark" series.

Described by Booklist contributor Carolyn Phelan as "a real charmer," Geras's Time for Ballet focuses on a young girl who aspires to become a ballerina. McNicholas's detailed, warm-toned images for the book were praised by critics, Phelan commenting that her "affection for her subject shines through." According to a Kirkus Reviews critic, the illustrator "uses a colorful palate, little wiggly line helping to capture the ebullience and chaos of preschool ballet lessons." In Time for Ballet her "watercolors revel in the gentle chaos and unfettered joy of creative endeavor," concluded a reviewer for Publishers Weekly.

Like ballet, ponies are another favorite of young girls, and in her art for Bradley's The Perfect Pony McNicholas creates "realistic watercolor illustrations [that] are completely in step with the understated text," according to Booklist critic Julie Cummins. Bradley's story focuses on a young girl who has worked hard to gain the skills to care for a pony of her own, and the book's art captures her choice of a mount from among "an engaging variety of ponies whose antics will be familiar to young equestrians and entertaining to all readers," in the words of School Library Journal contributor Carol Schene.

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, February 1, 2004, Carolyn Phelan, review of Time for Ballet, p. 975; April 1, 2007, Julie Cummins, review of The Perfect Pony, p. 55.

Kirkus Reviews, February 1, 2004, review of Time for Ballet, p. 133.

Publishers Weekly, March 1, 2004, review of Time for Ballet, p. 67.

School Library Journal, February, 2004, Susan Pine, review of Time for Ballet, p. 112; May, 2007, Carol Schene, review of The Perfect Pony, p. 85.