The creative paintings that John Duggleby displays in the Story Painter are very symbolic. He creates a vivid piece of history through the painting themselves. He goes in depth of the enslavement, freedom, struggles and triumph faced during the Harlem Renaissance. This particular biography was very engaging and easy to read. ( )

John Duggleby takes us through the life of renowned painter Jacob Lawrence. Lawrence was born in 1917 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. His parents were both former slaves that fled to freedom in the north. When he was seven years old, Lawrence's father left, and he had to assume the role of guardian to his siblings while his mother was away working. However, she had trouble finding work, so she moved to New York to find a job there, leaving the children behind until she could afford to bring the up with her. After three years, Lawrence and his siblings were moved to Harlem, where he found a completely new culture. In Harlem, unlike in school, Lawrence learned about black history, which led him to paint series of great black heroes such as General Toussaint LÓuverture and Frederick Douglass. He was the first black painter to be featured in a major art gallery. Later on in life, Lawrence became a professor at the University of Washington in Seattle, where he called home.
I absolutely loved this chapter book. The flow of the story was incredible, the organization of each chapter was great, and the placement of each painting in the story worked so well. I would recommend this book to anyone. ( )

The biography of Jacob Lawrence was written well. The author also used his actual paintings throughout the book. It is simple and to the point. I do not know how creditable the author was though. The back included a biography of where he collected the art work from. However it did not inform readers on where the content was pulled from. The book was set in sections based on different parts of Jacob Lawrence's life. I do not know when I would read this to my students, unless we were doing a lesson on biographies. ( )

The life of Jacob Lawrence, illustrated with colour reproductions of his own paintings.