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We have begun to enjoy the longer picture books. My girls enjoy story and considering they are still children, they love illustrations too. Norman the Doorman is a lovely story about a mouse who appreciates his home.
Why mice?Why has so much children's literature been about mice? Why Mickey and Jerry and Fievel and their animated brethren? How in the world did such vermin ridden filth become cute?It's not like they are endangered and we need to generate our usual, oops-too-late-false-sense-of-urgency. It's not like Coca Cola is going to be pony-ing up their tax write off money to "Save the Mouse." It's not like they mice make good pets: they can't fetch your slippers or roll over; they don't have a charmingl...
This one is adorable!
A lovely gem of a story from 1969.Norman is both a mouse and a doorman at the museum. Sweet illustrations and yet another lovely addition to my reading list of mouse and ratty stories.๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
This is a wonderfully charming children's classic! Not only is Norman the sweetest little mouse that you'd truly feel privileged to know, but he also possesses quite the creative wit! It sure put a smirk on my face to see what he entered into the art competition.Ages 2+Cleanliness: in the background of one of the pictures there is a Buddha statue (image cut off so half visible) and next to it a statue of a nude man (the object in his hand is covering, so no details visible).**Like my reviews? I
Don Freeman was more prolific than you might know.
The kids really enjoyed this book! It's an older story (we read the 1959 printing), and at 64 pages it's also a longer picture book. I was a little concerned that the kids might find the story to be too long and too dated, but that wasn't the case at all. They both really enjoyed it!I was thrilled with the illustrations. They were beautiful colored pencil drawings, and the way that the colors were blended to create texture, depth, and interest was really pleasing to look at. It's easy to see why...
Great children's book - one of my favorites. I love this author and how he draws and acquaints children with otherwise intimidating facilities - like the Met, the Museum of Fine Arts...
Beautiful colored pencil drawings and a charming story. My children love it as much as I did as a child.
Pretty fun story from the author of "Corduroy." Could be used to help children learn about art, about museums, about trying something new, or about finding out that someone you thought was scary can become a good friend.
My son and I both loved this book about a mouse who's a doorman. He gives basement tours at an art museum and he lives in a suit of armor. He's also an artist. He enters a sculpture in the human-run contest upstairs and finally gets his secret wish.
Norman is the doorman at the well-hidden hole around in the back of the Majestic Museum of Art. He greets all the creatures who come to see the treasures kept in the basement of the museum. He springs all the traps and explains the paintings and sculptures to the guests. When heโs not busy guiding guests through the museum basement, Norman creates his own art in his home inside the visor of the knightโs armored helmet and keeps himself hidden from the upstairs guard who comes to the basement to
This book is a gem. The written story itself is engaging, and the fascinating illustrations add much more to it. It's children's book that adults will relish as well. (Aletheia's review: The page paper was excellent for scratching one's nails against, and the corners looked delicious although I never quite got a taste.)
How did I not find this in my childhood? Fantastic, pun heavy (both in language and illustration) story of a mouse-doorman-artist in the Majestic Museum of Art. Art style riffs on the modern artists popular then as well as UPA cartoons of the error. Don Freeman, I love you, and thank you.
Summary: Norman is a mouse who is a doorman at the mouse-sized side entrance to the Majestic Museum of Art. He lives in the visor of an old suit of armor. By day he sports a blue doorman uniform and hosts visitors to the museumโs basement cache of art. By night he spends time on his hobbyโmaking art. He decides to enter one of his mousetrap sculptures in the contest upstairs at the museum but will he make it or will he meet up with his nemesis the sharp-eyed upstairs guard? Norman the Doorman is...
(64 pages)I recently came across this book at Goodwill and decided to purchase it. I had no idea how old of a story it was, written back in 1959! However, even today, I think this is an excellent story that kids would enjoy. The illustrations in this story were also outstanding! I felt as though I actually was the little mouse in the story just by looking at the pictures. Even though this is an excellent story, I do not believe it would be good to use as a classroom read aloud because it is such...
Norman in a little mouse-doorman to a "door" on the side of museum that allows little creatures to come in and see all the works of art in the storage room. He is always trying to outwit the sharp-eyed guard who lays traps for the little mouse all the time. Inspired by the great art all around him (Normal also lives in the museum), he creates his own sculpture and enters it into a competition the museum is sponsoring. Of course he wins and everyone is all in a hubbub over who this new artist cou...
From the back of the 1969 paperback edition: "Norman is a doorman. He is also a mouse. Most important of all, he is a sculptor, particularly gifted in his manipulation of mousetraps into mobiles. This story, set in a museum, boasts illustrations of rare charm and quality. And the world of art lovers, exhibit openings, and mousedom, portrayed in Don Freeman's delicious pastels, will enchant children and delight the most sophisticated of parents." -Virginia Kirkus
This is quite the story. Norman is the doorman of an art museum. He also: gives tours of the art that's in the museum's basement, keeps an eye out for the night watchmen and his mouse traps, lives in an old armored knight's helmet and enters a sculpture contest. Freeman provides us with beautiful colored pencil art, a great plot and character development.