The Norman Rockwell Storybook

by Jan Wahl

Twenty, one-page, humorous stories illustrated with paintings by Norman Rockwell.

46 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

Jan Wahl was an American author best known for his imaginative and influential children’s books, which combined wit, warmth and a deep respect for young readers. Born in Columbus, Ohio, Wahl showed artistic promise early, performing piano on children’s radio programs and appearing on stage alongside legendary magician Harry Blackstone Sr. He studied at Cornell University, where he took classes with Vladimir Nabokov, and continued his education in Europe as a Fulbright scholar before completing graduate studies in the United States.
Wahl began publishing children’s books in the mid-1960s and quickly became a prolific and celebrated voice in the field, ultimately writing more than 120 works. Titles such as Pleasant Fieldmouse, The Furious Flycycle and Humphrey’s Bear earned him a devoted readership and critical acclaim. His stories were frequently illustrated by major artists, including Edward Gorey, Maurice Sendak and Mercer Mayer, and were praised for their playful tone, emotional intelligence and sense of empowerment.
Beyond writing, Wahl led an unusually rich cultural life, working with filmmakers, writers and artists, lecturing widely on film history and literature, and maintaining close ties to both the literary and cinematic worlds.

Reviews

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up at the Winter Lifeline bookfair today. It makes a great addition to my vintage children's picture book collection. Humorous stories based on some of Norman Rockwell's illustrations.
Norman Rockwell was the cover illustrator of The Saturday Evening Post for 5 decades. He illustrated much of American history over that time and is known for many pieces of Art that mark historical moments in the 20th century.
The pictures in this storybook are from before 1969 and are all of children. A lovely little collection.

[Allison Ster · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book contains several stories that include pictures. This is a great book to get kids excited about story telling!

[Lin Lin]

It wasn't until I came to the United States did I get to "know" Norman Rockwell, the America's best-loved artist. This book has some of his famous paintings and for each painting, a short story unfolds. I am going to use this book with Norman Rockwell's paintings to inspire my son to improve his writing.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book in an estate, one of my favorite illustrators. These are the stories of his painting, some years ago I visited his museum in Vermont only to learn that each painting had a photo of a person he knew. This book tells the story of the each painting. Heart warming

[Ami Steel · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the illustrations in this book have a charming one page story to go with them. Fun read !

[Suz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The pictures are great but the stories are not all a real great fit with the pictures...