The Signmaker's Assistant [Hardcover]

Tedd Arnold (Author)

Book Description

Norman, the signmaker's assistant, dreams of having his own shop. But one day while his boss is napping, Norman concocts a very mischievous sign. Soon lots of odd signs appear around town, and Norman is in stitches. But when the old signmaker is blamed for the mischief, Norman realizes the importance not only of good signs, but of honesty too. 29 full-color illustrations.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When young Norman, assistant to the town's respected signmaker, paints a few unorthodox signs of his own, he generates hilarious havoc in this larky picture book. For this lad's handiwork--unlike his mentor's, which conveys such sensible information as where to eat and when to stop--mischievously proclaims "No school today," "Stop, ants crossing" and "Buy Norman a present." And the townsfolk, accustomed to obeying signs dutifully, follow instructions. The author/illustrator of No Jumping on the Bed! and Ollie Forgot here presents an escapade certain to tickle funnybones: What child could resist the sight of grown-ups blithely obeying a "Knock Heads" sign, or cars following a detour marker through a house , of all places? In Arnold's exuberant artwork--perhaps his finest to date--William Joyce meets Richard Egielski with scintillating results. Both the frenetic commotion and the urban calm before and after the storm are expressively depicted in luminous, crisply outlined colors. The signmaker's work itself is smartly designed; indeed, style and verve mark the entire enterprise. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-- Arnold brings the mischieveous quality of the sorcerer's apprentice to small-town America. Norman works as the old signmaker's assistant--cleaning brushes, mixing colors, and painting simple signs--while he dreams of having a shop of his own. As he watches people obey all the signs, he wonders what would happen if he painted some of his own. With the master away, Norman gets creative with such signs as ``Eat your hat,'' ``No school today,'' ``Buy Norman a present.'' The boy enjoys the confusion and laughs until the angry townspeople tear down all of his work, resulting in crashing cars, lost firemen, and his boss being run out of town. A contrite Norman paints all night long to restore order and clean up the mess. Arnold paints humorous pictures of the clever lad and the chaos he causes. This is well suited for reading aloud, with clear watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations and easy flowing text boxed on a white background alternating with full-page paintings. The silly signs and situations will appeal to children's sense of fun, and they will enjoy discovering the consequences of Norman's imaginative brush work. --Mary Rinato Berman, New York Public Library
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dial (May 4, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803710119
• ISBN-13: 978-0803710115
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,663,157 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in Elmira, New York, Tedd grew up in a family of six with three brothers. His family lived on a farm in Pennsylvania for several years then returned to Elmira until Tedd was ten years old. His father's work then required that they move to Gainesville, Florida. There, Tedd's first art lessons in an abandoned dentist's office over the Happy Hour pool hall eventually led to a fine arts degree from the University of Florida. He and his wife, Carol, started their family in Tallahassee where Tedd worked as a commercial illustrator. Carol, a Kindergarten teacher, drew Tedd's attention to children's books. Their first son, Walter, inspired his breakthrough picture book, No Jumping on the Bed!. His second son, William, now stars in No More Water in the Tub!, a sequel to his first book. He has now published more than 30 books as author and illustrator. When not working on his books, Tedd's interests include tennis, sketching, reading, coin collecting, and the computer."The inspiration to begin writing and illustrating for children came from my wife, Carol. As a kindergarten teacher, she collected picture books. I was attracted to their colorful pages and the way the words and pictures played with each other, much like the captioned cartoons I had drawn when I was young."Perhaps the biggest surprise of my career as an author is that I'm now going back to elementary school! Visiting young readers in classrooms and libraries is something I love. Kids keep me on my toes and they ask a lot of questions. The number one question seems to be, 'Where do you get your ideas?' It's also the hardest question to answer because every idea is different. Some ideas seem to pop out of thin air -- while I'm in the shower or walking the dog. Others come from reading or research. But most of my ideas come from my family and the things they do and say."For instance, one time when my first son, Walter, was five years old, I found him lying on the couch, looking pale as a ghost and clutching a Bible to his chest. He was praying! When I asked what was wrong, he wouldn't answer. In fact, he wouldn't even open his mouth. My wife, Carol, finally coaxed a response from him: he pointed inside his mouth. Carol exclaimed, 'You have a loose tooth!' Walter's eyes nearly popped out with fright. We quickly assured him that it was perfectly okay for his tooth to come loose and that a new one would replace it. But Carol and I looked at each other and realized that despite all our efforts to be good parents, we had somehow completely forgotten to warn Walter that teeth fall out! He had thought he was falling apart! I made a little note in my journal; then ten years later, I expanded that memory into my book Parts."Tedd Arnold lives in Elmira, New York, with his wife, Carol, two sons, Walter and William, two cats, Cody and Frankie, and one dog, Hershey.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great book, October 25, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Signmaker's Assistant (Hardcover)

Tedd Arnold's books are great. My son and I have read "No More Jumping on the Bed", "No More Water in the Tub" and this one("The Signmaker's Assistant") many many times over. My son has a great sense of humor and I love to hear him laugh and laugh and laugh... and Tedd Arnold never fails to do that! Oh, and read it to your young ones, don't wait till they're 6 or 8 or whatever the recommended age is on these books(my son is not quite 4 yet) - they'll love it!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Norman learns a lesson, March 31, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Signmaker's Assistant (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a story about Norman's tricks and the terrible things he did while the signmaker was gone. I liked the book because the things that Norman did were very funny. Norman was about eight or seven. I think he is eight just like me and that is one of the reasons I like this book. I recommend anyone to read this book if they enjoy funny things, jokes and having fun. I will tell you something this is a book for people 4-8.I also liked the pictures because they show exactly what the signs say.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars NOT RECEIVED YET- AFTER ONE MONTH: NO REVIEW, February 27, 2011

By 

Stephen Castor (Western New York) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Signmaker's Assistant (Hardcover)

THIS BOOK, ORDERED ONE MONTH AGO FROM METROPOLE PRESS HAS NOT BEEN RECEIVED YET- AFTER ONE MONTH: NO REVIEW POSSIBLE