From the Bookshelf of Mock Caldecott 2026…
Find A Copy At
Group Discussions About This Book
What Members Thought
Smile: How Young Charlie Chaplin Taught the World to Smile (and to Cry) is another glorious 2019 picture book biography. Sadly it isn't yet getting all the accolades it deserves. I am head over heels in love with this book! Although I have been a huge Charlie Chaplin fan for years, there were many new things that I learned about the Little Tramp. Golio clearly has a passion for the subject. His research is meticulous and entertaining, Smile is written in verse which was probably a particularly d
...more
Apr 06, 2019
Barbara
rated it
liked it
Shelves:
drama,
friendship,
community,
emotions,
families,
identity,
music,
picture-book,
elderly-characters,
humor
Collage and ink illustrations complement the story of Charlie Chaplin's formative years. Life wasn't easy for the young boy and his brother since his mother struggled to make ends meet after his father left. When his mother's voice could no longer be used for her stage performances, Charlie took over, learning how to make the audience laugh with his acting. He was a keen observer, and based his performances on some of the individuals he had seen in the London streets, most notably basing his mos
...more
An interesting biography on a person I haven't seen recently. Text is possibly more artistic than informative, but still engaging to read. Art is innovative if not particularly attractive to me.
...more
The biography was interesting since I know next to nothing about this actor and have not seen his films. The collage illustrations were interesting, depicting many of the people as silhouettes, but not really a style that appeals to me much. I thought some of the color choices clashed and were garish.
very well done and informative and thoughtfully written biography of silent film star.
story told in verse, and the illustrations evoke movie titles periodically
story told in verse, and the illustrations evoke movie titles periodically
I biography for middle grade readers that introduces them to Charlie Chaplin. Ed Young's art and the book's layout help set the mood and move the story forward.
...more
Picture book biography about Charlie Chaplin. Illustrations bring this book to life.
Boy do the illustrations not do this book any favors. What a peculiar choice to use torn paper collage with low contrast when Chaplin’s iconic look was so crisp and graphically strong. The text is maundering and slowly builds up to the moment he creates his iconic character. Seemingly it didn’t occur to the book team that kids need to be shown who Chaplin was before they can care about him. I lost interest on page two.
3/25/2020 ~ As with previous books by the Golio/Young team, the final product is stunning. The black frames evoke the era of silent movies perfectly.
I loved this, but most particularly the art work. I really want to find all the films recommended for children in the resources.
Lyrical text that sometimes kind of rhymes, which took me out of it. Would have liked the book to chronicle more of his life.
Apr 04, 2019
Kim
marked it as to-read
Apr 17, 2019
Valerie
marked it as to-read
