The Shadow
Best introduction to Diamond's original work: a wordless picture book conceived and illustrated by her.
Author guide
Donna Diamond Books in Order
Donna Diamond is a New York artist who studied sculpture at Boston University and pursued printmaking at the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop. Alongside her work in drawing, linoleum cuts, mezzotints, monotypes, and painting, she created and illustrated children's books, including several fairy-tale retellings and the original wordless picture book The Shadow. She has received fellowships and multiple BRIO Awards from the Bronx Council on the Arts.
children's literaturepicture booksfairy-tale retellings
Catalog record updated .
Not sure where to begin?
Start with one of these
The Seven Ravens
A representative starting point for Diamond's fairy-tale retellings.
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Children's books (6)
- The Seven Ravens
picture-book · 1979
Retells the tale of the girl who sets out to find her seven brothers and free them from enchantment.
- Swan Lake
picture-book · 1980
A prince's love for a swan queen is thwarted by an evil sorcerer in this fairy tale adaptation of the classic ballet.
- The Bremen Town Musicians
picture-book · 1981
- The Pied Piper of Hamelin
picture-book · 1981
- Rumpelstiltskin
picture-book · 1983
- The Shadow
picture-book · 2010
A wordless picture book in which a young girl comes home and begins to draw in her bedroom, slowly realizes that a frightening shadow has followed her, and decides how to respond.
Frequently asked questions about Donna Diamond
Who is Donna Diamond?
Donna Diamond is a New York City–born artist, author, and children’s-book illustrator whose career spans printmaking, drawing, painting, and book art.
Sources: theartofdonnadiamond.com (opens in a new tab)publishersweekly.com (opens in a new tab)
Where did Donna Diamond study, and who influenced her artistic development?
She studied sculpture at Boston University School of Art and later pursued printmaking at the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop, encouraged by master printmaker Robert Blackburn.
Sources: theartofdonnadiamond.com (opens in a new tab)projectfind.org (opens in a new tab)
What is Donna Diamond best known for in her career?
She is best known for illustrating children’s books while maintaining an active fine-art practice in prints and drawings. Her wordless picture book The Shadow was her first solo effort as both author and illustrator.
Sources: publishersweekly.com (opens in a new tab)kirkusreviews.com (opens in a new tab)
What awards and fellowships has Donna Diamond received?
Diamond received the 2017 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship and a Gregory Millard Named Fellowship, along with an AE Ventures Foundation grant. She is also a four-time BRIO Award recipient in drawing, printmaking, and book arts.
Sources: theartofdonnadiamond.com (opens in a new tab)nyfa.org (opens in a new tab)projectfind.org (opens in a new tab)
What is Donna Diamond’s lasting significance as an artist and illustrator?
Her documented significance is the bridge she created between fine-art printmaking and children’s visual storytelling. Her work has been exhibited widely, while The Shadow demonstrated how sequential, wordless imagery could carry a psychologically intense narrative.
Sources: theartofdonnadiamond.com (opens in a new tab)kirkusreviews.com (opens in a new tab)