I feel like there is a better way to present the tale of Charlie Chaplin... and any book that leaves out his mockery of a certain man with a "stache" doesn't tell the whole story, in my opinion. ( )

Here is a biography detailing the life and inspirations of one of my favorite movie stars, Charlie Chaplin. Rather than tackle his whole life, it only covers his childhood up to when he becomes The Tramp in the 1910s. Notably, not only does it discuss the origin of his signature walk, but Cry also tackles why he expertly blended pain with happiness in his films. Given that this is a class for earning my MLIS, I would be remiss if I did not also mention that the book recommends visiting the local public library for more information. For a book from 2019 to have that, it made me enjoy reading it even more. ( )

Absolutely gorgeous collage and ink illustrations (some of Young's best work, in my opinion) tell the story of Charlie Chaplin's childhood in London. He and his mother and brother lived hand to mouth, were in a workhouse at one point, until they could find work. Charlie always had an affinity for performing, and already at 9 years old he was on stage! As a young man, he traveled to America with a production and was discovered by Mack Sennett, of Keystone Cops fame, which led to his career as screenwriter, director, producer, actor, composer, and so forth. I loved the writing of this book, very nice. "Charlie began to understand/ how funny and sad went hand in hand." and later, "Laughter and tears were brothers too." I also liked that the author included sources for all of the quotations used in the book. ( )

A wonderful biography about the famous movie star by the award winning illustrator Ed Young and award winning author Gary Golio.
Collages out of different media tell the difficult life Chaplin grew up in. No father and not much money in late 19th century England. He earned some money at a young age for food with “a sad face and two happy feet”. His mum, that is how it is spelled throughout the book, would read him plays as bedtime stories before they were transferred to the poorhouse. The theatre was another experience where Charlie learned to act but it was through observation how he gained inside to combine happy and sad together. .
Some of the serif text is set on a black background which gives the impression of it being part of a silent film. The afterword is part of Chaplin’s biography; black text encased by a double lined rectangle which emphasizes the idea of a silent movie too. The combination of text and illustrations could help teaching older elementary school kids about development of character on stage and screen with a nudge to height. Being small or little made Charlie Chaplin what he was. An addition to any collection. The reviewer had a hardback copy.
Oral
3rd - 5th grade
R ( )

I loved the unusual illustrations and book layout of this book.

I learned a lot of things about Charlie Chaplin’s life that I’d never known and found them interesting. He had a sad & happy life and I like how sad & happy are paired in this account.

Short but great Afterword and Facts list and Additional Resources list.

My father loved Charlie Chaplin movies and when I was young I enjoyed a few of them. His “the little tramp” movies were not ones I much enjoyed, but this is a biography and an interesting one. I love that Chaplin might have entered but lost a Charlie Chaplin lookalike contest. Too funny.

I love the song Smile and now can’t get it out of my head.

3-1/2 stars ( )