Story Painter: The Life of Jacob Lawrence

by John Duggleby

The paintings of Jacob Lawrence tell stories. Stories of enslavement and freedom, of human migration and renaissance, of struggle and of triumph. A collection of these stunning paintings provides the backdrop for this exceptional biography which tells the story of one of our finest living painters-from his family's experience in the great migration North, to his growing up in the midst of the Harlem Renaissance, to his rise as one of the most renowned painters of African American life. With over twenty-five full-color reproductions and an insightful glossary, not only is this an easy-to-read, engaging biography, it's also an excellent starting point for discussions about American history. Awards and honors for Story Painter :
1998 CCBC Choices, Biography/Autobiography
1999 IRA/CBC Notable Trade Books--Social Studies
1999 Carter G. Woodson Award
1999 Parents' Guide/Children's Media award, non-fiction category
Publishers Weekly, starred review
Smithsonian Notable Award
Parent Council Ltd. - Gold

Genres: Art, Biography, African American, Picture Books, Nonfiction, History, Childrens

64 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1998

Reviews

[Priscilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this past winner of the Carter G. Woodson Book Awards. The illustrations are beautiful-by Jacob Lawrence of course!

[Aurelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s Black History Month and this book is an exceptional resource for teachers and librarians to use in programming for any age. It may be a children’s book, but it has so much to offer on the Harlem Renaissance, African American culture, art, and raw perseverance. How was I not introduced to Jacob Lawrence and his inspirational path in art school!?

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

informative, comprehensive and a delightful use of Lawrence's paintings to enhance the story.

[Jaime Small · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never heard of Jacob Lawrence before and I feel like this biography of this influential African American painter was extremely informative and his paintings are beautiful to look at. Something I liked about the illustrations were the incorporation of photos from Lawrence’s life. It added a personal touch and we were able to see him throughout his life. I feel like this book would be good for students in middle school and would be good to talk about important moments in history that many books would overlook. I feel like the migration of African Americans to the North is not talked about. I personally do not remember learned about this in depth and I think this book has a lot of historical value that is often overlooked or forgotten about.
I feel like it would be a good book to read at bed with a child since it is broken into chapters. Each chapter moves along Jacob Lawrence’s story and will bring up questions from children that are probably hardly touched on in school settings. I will definitely be sharing this book and learning about Jacob Lawrence because I really enjoyed the story and the vibrant illustrations that went with the historical content.

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Story Painter is a comprehensive look at the life and artwork of Jacob Lawrence. While telling Jacob's story, the author effortlessly weaves in information about events in history, such as the Great Migration, the Great Depression, WWII, and the Civil Rights Movement. I also loved the brief intro into some of Jacob's heroes, Toussaint L'Ouverture and Harriet Tubman, and hope this book can be a starting off point for young readers to do more research on these black history icons themselves.

All in all, a great biography with a really comprehensive look at Jacob Lawrence's artwork.

[Lea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really brief yet detailed look at Jacob Lawrence’s life as a painter. I learned a lot as an adult but it definitely written for a young reader.
My only disappointment is it’s a white man telling the story of a Black man’s life.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting look at an interesting artist.

[Dagmar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book about the life of Jacob Lawrence. I love using this book during African-American history month to discuss different points in history and the unique artistry of Jacob Lawrence. Highly recommended.

This book is the winner of the Carter G. Woodson Award presented by the National Council for the Social Studies. The award is intended to "encourage the writing, publishing, and dissemination of outstanding social science books for young readers that treat topics related to ethnic minorities and relations sensitively and accurately."

[Shila Iris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seeing that I am in love with the work of Jacob Lawrence, I am always glad to read a book about his journey through art. It is fascinating to see how a lot of artists are affiliated and how they come from the same places. J.L. studied and had connections with Charles Alston, Diego Rivera, Augusta Savage, and Romare Bearden. These were all people who he influenced in some way. Cool book.

[Polly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I would have learned about this artist earlier. I really enjoyed this book. Every library should have this one.

[Claire]

Text is much too dense. good use of JL's images, but story too long to hold attention.

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jacob Lawrence was new to me and I had to track this book down but it was certainly worth it. This is a good one to share with upper elementary students.

[Karen Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent paintings by African American artist Jacob Lawrence

[CJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating read about a fascinating man. definitely someone I want to do more research into!