Customer Reviews

Charlotte in Giverny

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For anyone, child or adult, who has even a passing interest in the arts, "Charlotte in Giverny" is a kind of magical time-machine disguised as a children's book that takes the reader into the world of artists and villagers who had the good fortune to find themselves in Giverny, the revered artist's colony outside of Paris, in the late 1800's. Presented as the diary of a young girl who travels to Giverny from Boston with her parents (her father is a painter) in 1892, "Charlotte in Giverny" is rife with the joy of discovery. Charlotte is heartbroken at first because she has to leave her best friend behind. But then her adventures begin: on board ship, in awe-inspiring Paris, and throughout the year in the beautiful Normandy countryside where Charlotte makes new friends, plants a potager and even attends the wedding of Monsieur Monet's daughter. Reproductions of Impressionist paintings, postcards, photographs and ephemera from the period, as well as charming watercolor and collage illustrations by Melissa Sweet lend the book a quality both authentic and eye-pleasing. A rare and unusual treat, a treasure of a book for all ages to enjoy.

Charlotte in Giverny is truly magical--its absolutely transporting! One truly gets the sense of what it must have been like to travel to and live in France as an american girl in the 1890's. The wonderful thing about Charlotte as a character is that she has such a strong and inspired voice--and what a sense of adventure! Lush paintings of the period jump off the pages--and the use of old postcards, stationary, and photgraphs lend to a sense of travelling back in time. Melissa Sweet's drawings complement Charlotte's adventures beautifully. Via Charlotte's keen and curious eye-we see not only Monet the master come to life-but the multitude of American painters who made their lives and art in Giverny. It is the mark of a truly gifted writer to breathe life into those who have long since left us-and Joan Knight has done just that. Monet is mysterious, Charlotte's dog Toby mischievous, and Giverny glaringly alive. There is romance, friendship, and adventure on the pages of this book--it is an absolute classic and should not be missed.

For anyone, child or adult, who has even a passing interest in the arts, "Charlotte in Giverny" is a kind of magical time-machine disguised as a children's book that takes the reader into the world of artists and villagers who had the good fortune to find themselves in Giverny, the revered artist's colony outside of Paris, in the late 1800's. Presented as the diary of a young girl who travels to Giverny from Boston with her parents (her father is a painter) in the 1890's, "Charlotte in Giverny" is rife with the joy of discovery. Charlotte (a girl with a sense of mischief) is heartbroken in the beginning at having to leave her best friend behind, but grows eager to explore her new world. Through her eyes, we make new friends, see new places, learn new things. Her shipboard departure from Boston, her awed introduction to Paris, and the year she lives in the beautiful Normandy countryside, are all richly illustrated. Reproductions of Impressionist paintings, postcards, photographs and ephemera from the period, as well as charming watercolor and collage illustrations by Melissa Sweet give the book a visual quality that's authentic and beautiful. The result is a rare and unusual treat, a treasure of a book for all ages to enjoy.

This is the story of Charlotte, a little girl who lived in the 1890s. She travels to Giverny with her parents, who are going to paint. She loves it in Giverny but misses her friend very badly. She lives next door to the Perrys and becomes very good friends with one of their daughters. She loves the dog they own. She wants one just like him. For Christmas her wish comes true. She finds a little dog in her shoe on Christmas morning and names it Toby. Then she gets a letter from her friend that says she is going to go to Giverny to see her. It is a great book that everyone should enjoy. In it you can learn some french words.

In this case, the reader reviews are more perceptive than the _School Library Journal_ reviewer quoted in editorial reviews. The book is a window for young people, including my 9-year old daughter who is intrigued by the interweaving of the fictional journal entries with the content of the visual reproductions. Part of the story hinges on the American painters who go to learn from the French Impressionists there and hence the mix of both American and French painters. The book does assume that the readers can find out further historical information on the place of Monet et al, but what Pierini does not seem to appreciate here is the subtlety with which things are presented. The historical perspective here includes more of the entire lived experience of Giverny, not another bored, tired, dry recounting of historical fact. The strength of this lovely book is that it presents a world to enter, reminiscent of the look and feel of the Griffin and Sabine books way back when. The illustrator's montages, the blending of art pieces, photo-realist artifacts, Charlotte's own drawings and pictures is very adept (the cover gives you some idea of this technique). This kind of book then sparks my daughter's artistic imagination - and I think it is pleasurable for adults as well. The paperback is a mere $7 and has so much more depth and staying power than other books many times the price. There are not that many books that hook my daughter so strongly. If yours has artistic inclinations, this is a wonderful little book.

Bought this book for my 6 year old, since she's half french. It's written in a "journal" style, which was perfect because they are now keeping a journal in her kindergarten class. It took us several days to read through is this book (several pages a night at bedtime), which was fun as both she and my 4 year old son looked forward to hearing more about Charlotte's life in Giverny.