Shannon Cartwright

There are more than one million books in print illustrated by Shannon Cartwright. She came to Alaska in 1972 after graduating from college. After working a year in the field of advertising in Ann Arbor, Michigan she was drawn north by the stories she had heard as a child from her grandmother, Esther Scheubel, a famous public health nurse who spent 14 years in the Alaska "bush". Cartwright expresses her love of Alaska through the numerous children's books she has illustrated to date. Her books provide a colorful and entertaining story line and, at the same time, teach kids about Alaska; the land, the people, and the wildlife. Cartwright is uniquely qualified for the job. Shannon Cartwright is one of Alaska's most popular illustrators with 23 children's books to her credit. She lives in a remote cabin in the Talkeetna Mountains where she finds the inspiration for her whimsical, brightly colored animals that serve as the basis for her work. For the last 25+ years she has lived in Alaska, most of which have been spent living in the "bush" - far off the road system. She and her husband and their two dogs travel between their three cabins, depending on the seasons, by hiking and skiing, hauling their supplies in by pack horses or snow machine. She thrives on living a simple life - hauling water by backpack, heating and cooking with wood, and lighting her work area with solar energy. "Everything takes longer", she says, "like having to ski 14 miles just to pick up the mail, but it's fun and sometimes challenging!