Close Modal

Duel

Illustrated by Shawn Harris
Hardcover
11"W x 7"H | 20 oz | 40 per carton
On sale Oct 06, 2026 | 40 Pages | 9780823458738
Age 4-8 years

Caldecott Honoree Shawn Harris uses mirrored images to tell the story of two queens, two knights, and a duel over one shared hill in this astonishingly symmetrical picture book.

Two castles sit on a hill, home to two queens. But the queens would rather not share, and each sends a knight to joust for the land.

Two queens is one too many for this hill, the queens concurred.
Let's hold a duel. The one who wins will rule the hill in whole.

There's just one problem—when the winner stands up in the middle of the field, no one is sure which side he came from. Maybe neighborly sharing is back in vogue! After all, they have so much in common.

The illustrations in Duel follow one simple rule. Each pair of facing pages is perfectly symmetrical, mirrored over the gutter of the book. Even the colors are the result of squish painting, wet paint pressed between center-folded paper.

Shawn Harris's self-imposed artistic dare has resulted in a visually arresting and effortlessly funny picture book that kids are sure to ask for on repeat. And to the bold, Duel whispers: what might you create, if you set yourself a challenge?
Shawn Harris is an award-winning creator of books for kids. He received a Caldecott Honor for his debut authored book Have You Ever Seen a Flower?, which the New York Times called a “stunning tour de force.” He is also the creator of the picture books The Teeny-Weeny Unicorn, Doing Business, and Let’s Be Bees. His work as an illustrator includes What Can a Citizen Do?, Her Right Foot, and the Newbery Medal-winning bestseller The Eyes and the Impossible, all written by Dave Eggers; A Polar Bear in the Snow by Mac Barnett; and Everyone’s Awake by Colin Meloy, among others. He lives in Northern California, where he also writes songs, surfs, and plays racquetball.
Available for sale exclusive:
•     Canada
•     Guam
•     Minor Outl.Ins.
•     North Mariana
•     Philippines
•     Puerto Rico
•     Samoa,American
•     US Virgin Is.
•     USA

Available for sale non-exclusive:
•     Afghanistan
•     Aland Islands
•     Albania
•     Algeria
•     Angola
•     Anguilla
•     Antarctica
•     Argentina
•     Armenia
•     Aruba
•     Austria
•     Azerbaijan
•     Bahrain
•     Belarus
•     Belgium
•     Benin
•     Bolivia
•     Bonaire, Saba
•     Bosnia Herzeg.
•     Bouvet Island
•     Brazil
•     Bulgaria
•     Burkina Faso
•     Burundi
•     Cambodia
•     Cape Verde
•     Centr.Afr.Rep.
•     Chad
•     Chile
•     China
•     Colombia
•     Comoro Is.
•     Congo
•     Cook Islands
•     Costa Rica
•     Croatia
•     Cuba
•     Curacao
•     Czech Republic
•     Dem. Rep. Congo
•     Denmark
•     Djibouti
•     Dominican Rep.
•     Ecuador
•     El Salvador
•     Equatorial Gui.
•     Eritrea
•     Estonia
•     Ethiopia
•     Faroe Islands
•     Finland
•     France
•     Fren.Polynesia
•     French Guinea
•     Gabon
•     Georgia
•     Germany
•     Greece
•     Greenland
•     Guadeloupe
•     Guatemala
•     Guinea Republic
•     Guinea-Bissau
•     Haiti
•     Heard/McDon.Isl
•     Honduras
•     Hungary
•     Indonesia
•     Iran
•     Italy
•     Ivory Coast
•     Japan
•     Kazakhstan
•     Kuwait
•     Kyrgyzstan
•     Laos
•     Latvia
•     Lebanon
•     Liberia
•     Libya
•     Lithuania
•     Luxembourg
•     Macau
•     Macedonia
•     Madagascar
•     Maldives
•     Mali
•     Marshall island
•     Martinique
•     Mauritania
•     Mayotte
•     Mexico
•     Micronesia
•     Moldavia
•     Mongolia
•     Montenegro
•     Morocco
•     Netherlands
•     New Caledonia
•     Nicaragua
•     Niger
•     Niue
•     North Korea
•     Oman
•     Palau
•     Palestinian Ter
•     Panama
•     Paraguay
•     Peru
•     Poland
•     Portugal
•     Qatar
•     Reunion Island
•     Romania
•     Russian Fed.
•     Rwanda
•     Saint Martin
•     SaoTome Princip
•     Saudi Arabia
•     Senegal
•     Serbia
•     Sint Maarten
•     Slovakia
•     Slovenia
•     South Korea
•     South Sudan
•     Spain
•     St Barthelemy
•     St.Pier,Miquel.
•     Sth Terr. Franc
•     Suriname
•     Svalbard
•     Sweden
•     Syria
•     Tadschikistan
•     Taiwan
•     Thailand
•     Timor-Leste
•     Togo
•     Tokelau Islands
•     Tunisia
•     Turkey
•     Turkmenistan
•     Ukraine
•     Unit.Arab Emir.
•     Uruguay
•     Uzbekistan
•     Vatican City
•     Venezuela
•     Wallis,Futuna
•     West Saharan

Not available for sale:
•     Andorra
•     Antigua/Barbuda
•     Australia
•     Bahamas
•     Bangladesh
•     Barbados
•     Belize
•     Bermuda
•     Bhutan
•     Botswana
•     Brit.Ind.Oc.Ter
•     Brit.Virgin Is.
•     Brunei
•     Cameroon
•     Cayman Islands
•     Christmas Islnd
•     Cocos Islands
•     Cyprus
•     Dominica
•     Egypt
•     Falkland Islnds
•     Fiji
•     Gambia
•     Ghana
•     Gibraltar
•     Grenada
•     Guernsey
•     Guyana
•     Hong Kong
•     Iceland
•     India
•     Iraq
•     Ireland
•     Isle of Man
•     Israel
•     Jamaica
•     Jersey
•     Jordan
•     Kenya
•     Kiribati
•     Lesotho
•     Liechtenstein
•     Malawi
•     Malaysia
•     Malta
•     Mauritius
•     Monaco
•     Montserrat
•     Mozambique
•     Myanmar
•     Namibia
•     Nauru
•     Nepal
•     New Zealand
•     Nigeria
•     Norfolk Island
•     Norway
•     Pakistan
•     PapuaNewGuinea
•     Pitcairn Islnds
•     S. Sandwich Ins
•     San Marino
•     Seychelles
•     Sierra Leone
•     Singapore
•     Solomon Islands
•     Somalia
•     South Africa
•     Sri Lanka
•     St. Helena
•     St. Lucia
•     St. Vincent
•     St.Chr.,Nevis
•     Sudan
•     Swaziland
•     Switzerland
•     Tanzania
•     Tonga
•     Trinidad,Tobago
•     Turks&Caicos Is
•     Tuvalu
•     Uganda
•     United Kingdom
•     Vanuatu
•     Vietnam
•     Western Samoa
•     Yemen
•     Zambia
•     Zimbabwe

additional book photo
additional book photo
additional book photo

Classroom Activities for Duel

Classroom activities supplement discussion and traditional lessons with group projects and creative tasks. Can be used in pre-existing units and lessons, or as stand-alone.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

About

Caldecott Honoree Shawn Harris uses mirrored images to tell the story of two queens, two knights, and a duel over one shared hill in this astonishingly symmetrical picture book.

Two castles sit on a hill, home to two queens. But the queens would rather not share, and each sends a knight to joust for the land.

Two queens is one too many for this hill, the queens concurred.
Let's hold a duel. The one who wins will rule the hill in whole.

There's just one problem—when the winner stands up in the middle of the field, no one is sure which side he came from. Maybe neighborly sharing is back in vogue! After all, they have so much in common.

The illustrations in Duel follow one simple rule. Each pair of facing pages is perfectly symmetrical, mirrored over the gutter of the book. Even the colors are the result of squish painting, wet paint pressed between center-folded paper.

Shawn Harris's self-imposed artistic dare has resulted in a visually arresting and effortlessly funny picture book that kids are sure to ask for on repeat. And to the bold, Duel whispers: what might you create, if you set yourself a challenge?

Creators

Shawn Harris is an award-winning creator of books for kids. He received a Caldecott Honor for his debut authored book Have You Ever Seen a Flower?, which the New York Times called a “stunning tour de force.” He is also the creator of the picture books The Teeny-Weeny Unicorn, Doing Business, and Let’s Be Bees. His work as an illustrator includes What Can a Citizen Do?, Her Right Foot, and the Newbery Medal-winning bestseller The Eyes and the Impossible, all written by Dave Eggers; A Polar Bear in the Snow by Mac Barnett; and Everyone’s Awake by Colin Meloy, among others. He lives in Northern California, where he also writes songs, surfs, and plays racquetball.

Photos

additional book photo
additional book photo
additional book photo

Teacher Guides

Classroom Activities for Duel

Classroom activities supplement discussion and traditional lessons with group projects and creative tasks. Can be used in pre-existing units and lessons, or as stand-alone.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

Penguin Random House Comics Retail