I'm Gonna Paint: Ralph Fasanella, Artist of the People, written by Anne Broyles and illustrated by Victoria Tentler-Krylov. Holiday House, Penguin Random House. 2023. $24.99 ages 9 and up

"But in the 1940s, Ralph's fingers twitched
and tingled, possibly from arthritis. To help 
with the pain, a friend handed him a pencil 
and paper. "Draw something." Ralph drew
for the first time when he was thirty-one 
years old. 

Then he couldn't stop drawing."

Young readers will very much enjoy this upbeat look at Ralph Fasanella's life from his early days as a kid growing up in the 1920s in New York. He was a brave and daring child, wandering the streets of the big city all day long. He had no need for school. He taught himself to read by perusing any newspaper he could find. 

Ralph's family was large; their apartment was small. Dinnertime conversations were lively, often led by his mother who shared big ideas like the benefit of unions. He attended union meetings and her workplace with her. Ralph paid careful attention to what was happening there. He also followed his father as he delivered ice to his many customers. 

Ralph found himself in trouble, after being caught selling stolen goods. He was sent to reform school for his misdeeds. He longed for the dinnertime conversations at the family table. Following his four years there, he worked running errands, and taking whatever work he could get. He joined a union, finally becoming an organizer. 

Drawing became a passion when a friend suggested he try it. As he had learned to read on his own, now he learned everything he could about art and artists. His own paintings were filled with memories of his life, and the events that were happening around him. 

"He painted ordinary people, city streets, everyday working life." 

Though he wasn't making a living being an artist, he continued painting until a folk-art dealer decided to show his work. Ralph then took time to do valuable research, and ultimately create eighteen paintings reflective of workers fighting for their rights. Fame led to his art being shown in museums around the world, and in places where people could see themselves in his paintings and be proud of the work they did.

Back matter is extensive; it includes further information about Ralph, archival photographs, reproductions of two of his paintings, a time line of his life, a list of his paintings that capture historical events, and a list of other artists whose work was focused on ordinary people (social realism), with the title of a picture book biography written about each one,  Finally, it includes a bibliography of books, print articles, video, web articles and exhibition catalogs to provide what is needed should a reader want to know more. 

The endpapers are stunning.