Who are Anne and Harlow Rockwell?
Anne Rockwell (1934-2018) and Harlow Rockwell (1910-1988) were my parents. They created children's books as a team in a studio off our dining room in Old Greenwich, CT. When my father was an art director in advertising, and he also illustrated books that my mom wrote. Many of my parent's books, like The Toolbox and The Awful Mess where stories about our family experiences. Along with concept books and original stories, Mom has written books on almost every subject, including American history, art history, fables, mythology, and science. Anne Rockwell illustrated most of her books herself but also wrote texts for other illustrators.
At the dinner table, our parents were always talking about current and future books, and often our vacations took us to wonderful places like Block Island and Europe for their inspiration or research. Our home was filled with my parents' fine art. Mom created oil paintings, bronze sculptures, etchings and needlepoint tapestries. My father made found object assemblages, abstract oil paintings and woodcuts.
When I was a teenager, I worked in my parents studio painting in color separations on acetate, when full color books were not the norm. As an adult I have been lucky enough to illustrate 18 of my mom's texts.
You can learn about my family, and other children's book families in Pass it Down by Leonard Marcus.
The Awful Mess, by Anne RockwellAtheneum, 1973. This story is about my brother, Olly's room. A celebration of creativity. | Paul and Arthur Search for the EggAnne Rockwell's first book, published by Doubleday in 1964. |
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SALLY'S CATERPILLARParents Magazine Press, 1966. This is a true story about one of our trips to Block Island, RI. Sally is my sister, Hannah. | OLLY'S POLLIWOGSDoubleday, 1970. This was about my brother, Oliver. That polliwog tank was on our kitchen counter for months. |
GYSPY GIRLParent's Magazine Press, 1966. This story was inspired by my obsession with a pair of patent leather shoes I saw at the shoestore when I was about four living in New York City. I also dressed up as a gypsy girl a lot when I was little. | THE TOOLBOXOne of the very first concept books, published by Macmillan in 1971 |
MACHINESMacmillan, 1972 | PRINTMAKINGDoubleday, 1974. My brother Olly and I helped with the printmaking examples in this book. |
Print by Lizzy at 11An illustration in my dad's PRINTMAKING book. | MONKEY'S WHISKERSParents Magazine Press, 1971 |
DANCING STARSThomas Y. Crowell, 1972 | THE THREE BEARS AND 15 OTHER STORIESTold and illustrated by Anne Rockwell Thomas Y. Crowell, 1975 |
THE THREE SILLIESTold and Illustrated by Anne Rockwell Thomas Y. Crowell, 1979 | PUSS IN BOOTS AND OTHER STORIESAtheneum, 1988. |
THE GOOD LLAMAWorld Publishing, 1968. A story from Peru. | GAMES AND HOW TO PLAY THEMCrowell, 1973 |
THE WONDERFUL EGGS OF FURICCIAWorld Publishing, 1969. My mom's love of medieval Italian art is evident in the illustrations. | The Stolen NcklaceWorld Publishers, 1968 |
Fillipo's DomeMacmillan, 1967. This is about Fillipo Brunelleschi and the building of his Duomo, in Florence Italy. | When the Drum SangWorld Publishers, 1970. |
BOATSBy Anne Rockwell Dutton, 1982 | BIG WHEELSDutton, 1986. |
HUGO AT THE WINDOWBy Anne Rockwell Macmillan, 1988 | APPLES AND PUMPKINSBy Anne Rockwell, illustrated by Lizzy Rockwell. Macmillan 1989. Now Simon and Schuster. |