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Norman Rockwell: Storyteller With A Brush
He was a pale, skinny boy with thick glasses, but Norman Perceval Rockwell knew that he could draw.
Beverly Gherman shows us how this awkward boy grew up to become a famous illustrator. As a boy, he sketched the characters from Charles Dickens's novels at the kitchen table. And although his mother discouraged him from pursuing a career in art, Norman knew early on that he could not ignore his talent. He dropped out of school at age fourteen to study art and begin the career that would eventually capture the heart of his entire nation.
The experiences of Rockwell's life became part of his a childhood trip to the country, his son's departure for the Air Force, the fire that destroyed his studio. He also depicted world events and people of his Charles Lindbergh's flight across the Atlantic Ocean, the soldiers of World War II, and the children involved in school integration, as well as more intimate American scenes, such as a family dinner or a trip to the doctor's office.
Beverly Gherman paints a colorful and engaging portrait of Norman Rockwell's life, enhanced by full-color reproductions of the artist's own paintings, which tell both his story and their own.
Beverly Gherman shows us how this awkward boy grew up to become a famous illustrator. As a boy, he sketched the characters from Charles Dickens's novels at the kitchen table. And although his mother discouraged him from pursuing a career in art, Norman knew early on that he could not ignore his talent. He dropped out of school at age fourteen to study art and begin the career that would eventually capture the heart of his entire nation.
The experiences of Rockwell's life became part of his a childhood trip to the country, his son's departure for the Air Force, the fire that destroyed his studio. He also depicted world events and people of his Charles Lindbergh's flight across the Atlantic Ocean, the soldiers of World War II, and the children involved in school integration, as well as more intimate American scenes, such as a family dinner or a trip to the doctor's office.
Beverly Gherman paints a colorful and engaging portrait of Norman Rockwell's life, enhanced by full-color reproductions of the artist's own paintings, which tell both his story and their own.
64 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
About the author
Beverly Gherman
14 books3 followersBEVERLY GHERMAN has previously written children's biographies of Georgia O'Keeffe, Agnes de Mille, Sandra Day O'Connor, E.B. White, Wilhelm Röntgen, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Norman Rockwell. She lives in San Francisco, California.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
October 15, 2023
> detailed look at the life of famous artist, Norman Rockwell
> includes many of his incredible paintings as well as photographs of him
> convo: he took classes in which the students drew the nude model in the room, pipe smoking
> language: "For L*rd's sake," one painting depicts graffiti saying "n*gger" and "kkk"
> back includes a timeline, notes, bibliography and index
Type: long picture book (or illustrated chapter book)
Ages: 8+
Norman Rockwell made a significant contribution to our country's history. His capturing of many ordinary scenes gives us a unique glimpse into generations before us. He worked very hard all his life and was determined in his pursuits of capturing "what has become so familiar that it is no longer noticed" (his words).
The story doesn't shy away from some of the more difficult highlights in his life--including his divorce, his lack of religion or when thousands of parents got angry with him!
Conversations with your children could tangent off into many directions due to the wide variety of what Rockwell painted--from wars to famous literature scenes to the civil rights movement and much more. If you're comfortable with all of that, this is a good and detailed account of his life you will likely appreciate.
> includes many of his incredible paintings as well as photographs of him
> convo: he took classes in which the students drew the nude model in the room, pipe smoking
> language: "For L*rd's sake," one painting depicts graffiti saying "n*gger" and "kkk"
> back includes a timeline, notes, bibliography and index
Type: long picture book (or illustrated chapter book)
Ages: 8+
Norman Rockwell made a significant contribution to our country's history. His capturing of many ordinary scenes gives us a unique glimpse into generations before us. He worked very hard all his life and was determined in his pursuits of capturing "what has become so familiar that it is no longer noticed" (his words).
The story doesn't shy away from some of the more difficult highlights in his life--including his divorce, his lack of religion or when thousands of parents got angry with him!
Conversations with your children could tangent off into many directions due to the wide variety of what Rockwell painted--from wars to famous literature scenes to the civil rights movement and much more. If you're comfortable with all of that, this is a good and detailed account of his life you will likely appreciate.
May 29, 2026
Very good! I really enjoyed this. I thought it was a great mix of Rockwell's life story and plenty of his actual artwork. Great book about his art and how he actually created it.
This is the first artist in AO next school year so I am preparing and I'm really looking forward to sharing this with the kids.
Content: one note, there is mention of Rockwell being in art school and description of the classes with nude models. While I think it was addressed appropriately, it could always be skipped when read loud, if desired.
This is the first artist in AO next school year so I am preparing and I'm really looking forward to sharing this with the kids.
Content: one note, there is mention of Rockwell being in art school and description of the classes with nude models. While I think it was addressed appropriately, it could always be skipped when read loud, if desired.
December 5, 2025
Library copy
My daughter had the chance to visit Rockwell's museum in New England (which I am pretty sure I visited with my parents in the early 1980s!), so I brought this book home for her to read. We both love his work, and this is a nice, short biography with plenty of pictures of Rockwell, places in his life, and his work. My students probably don't know who he is, but it's a good introduction. Nicely done.
My daughter had the chance to visit Rockwell's museum in New England (which I am pretty sure I visited with my parents in the early 1980s!), so I brought this book home for her to read. We both love his work, and this is a nice, short biography with plenty of pictures of Rockwell, places in his life, and his work. My students probably don't know who he is, but it's a good introduction. Nicely done.
February 16, 2023
Basic brief life history and more context around a few of his works. Nice bibliography and illustration credits.
October 4, 2023
More of a coffee table book, but well sourced and concise. Travel prep!
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March 12, 2025I got this for the kids to read but they didn't get around to it. Nicely done biography with lots of images.
March 24, 2010
This book contained a very interesting combinations of detailed pictures and text to describe the life of Norman Rockwell.
I had a hard time distinguishing at first whether or not this was an authentic biography or a fictionalized biography. However, after time spent with the book, I have come to the conclusion that it is a fictionalized biography after finding several comments made by individuals such as teachers and friends in Rockwell's life. The book contained both photography and painted pictures. All of these pictures included caption to describe exactly what they were showing. Some of them were even pictures that Rockwell had painted. I also took notice to the fact that there was an index in the back of the book, as well as a selected bibliography.
I had a hard time distinguishing at first whether or not this was an authentic biography or a fictionalized biography. However, after time spent with the book, I have come to the conclusion that it is a fictionalized biography after finding several comments made by individuals such as teachers and friends in Rockwell's life. The book contained both photography and painted pictures. All of these pictures included caption to describe exactly what they were showing. Some of them were even pictures that Rockwell had painted. I also took notice to the fact that there was an index in the back of the book, as well as a selected bibliography.
October 23, 2024
This beautiful book makes me want to read Rockwell's autobiography. There are several paintings shown throughout these pages with details about the history of them. I knew very little about Norman Rockwell before reading this and I have even more respect for him as an artist. It's crazy to think artists from his day didn't see his art as valid because it was mostly for magazine covers.
📚my ratings:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: Loved it. Couldn't put it down. I will probably read it again and it has a place in my library.
⭐⭐⭐⭐: Enjoyed it. Good characters, great story. if nonfiction, great information, interesting topic.
⭐⭐⭐: Liked it. Glad I read it, but probably won't read again.
⭐⭐: okay, I won't read it again, it will not be kept for my library.
⭐: I didn't like it, don't recommend it.
📚my ratings:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: Loved it. Couldn't put it down. I will probably read it again and it has a place in my library.
⭐⭐⭐⭐: Enjoyed it. Good characters, great story. if nonfiction, great information, interesting topic.
⭐⭐⭐: Liked it. Glad I read it, but probably won't read again.
⭐⭐: okay, I won't read it again, it will not be kept for my library.
⭐: I didn't like it, don't recommend it.
January 5, 2012
I didn't get the opportunity to see a Norman Rockwell exhibit in town, but the next best thing was to read a book my daughter picked up at school about him. This little 50 page book had good information about him and showed and explained some of his beautiful paintings. I like the quote (quoting Rockwell in phrases) "He thought the paintings 'showed average people doing average things,' and that was how he could 'portray the loftiest ideas.'" I didn't know there is a Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, his last place of residency. Would love to see it!
September 7, 2016
Norman Rockwell was an artist in America during a time of great changes in technology, war and social reform. He beautifully captured many of these changes and the simple quiet moments in individual lives. Beverly Gherman did a wonderful job chronically describing Rockwell’s life for young readers, middle school and up. This is a lengthy picture book and would be best read independently or if aloud broken up into several periods.
January 22, 2008
I can spend hours looking at the illustrations in this book and still not fully grasp all the subtle nuances - like the cameo paintings within the painting, the relections in the mirror, the advertisements in the folded newspapers, and so on.
Rockwell's work makes me wonder if I was born at the wrong time...no one captures the innocence of 1950's America than he does.
Rockwell's work makes me wonder if I was born at the wrong time...no one captures the innocence of 1950's America than he does.
August 5, 2009
I love biographies. I love "behind the scenes" stories (probably why I prefer to go straight to the Special Features on DVDs which Dave doesn't understand). This was perfect. It was informative, quick, and showcased many of N.R.'s paintings. I'm going to pick up a more in-depth biography on him next month.
September 13, 2016
Nice J biography - just the right amount of information for those with a mild interest. The photos selected of Rockwell's paintings were well suited to illustrate his story and, while I would have loved more, there were enough pictures of Rockwell, his family, and his art to satisfy me. I was surprised by how much this short book taught me about one of my favorite artists.
May 7, 2008
While this book is geared more towards the elementary school age, it is still marvelous and wonderful. Any fan of Rockwell's works is sure to love this short biography - the pictures, of course, add to its charm. :)
May 22, 2012
An interesting, but not particularly good children's book about Norman Rockwell. It is to dry to interest kids for long and to childish to suit older readers. Overall, I'd say something to hold on to if you happen to own it, but not a book I'd search for.
October 4, 2014
This was aimed at a younger reader, but it still gave a nice, if brief and sanitized, overview of Norman's life and work. Pictures of several of his paintings were included as well as photos of him. I had hoped to see more of his technique, but the selection at the library was limited.
June 17, 2011
Reviewed this book when I was "picture person" for Daniel's ist grade class. It was a good book to use to teach them about his art.
March 20, 2012
A very nice tribute to one of the best painters in American history.
March 8, 2015
Nice biography.
August 1, 2015
very in depth. more for older readers. contains the N word due to the painting of Ruby Bridges.
July 16, 2016
An interesting brief biography of a great artist.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews