Charlotte in London [Hardcover]

Joan Knight (Author), Melissa Sweet (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2008 | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Charlotte

It's 1895. Charlotte and her family came to France three years ago so that her father could learn to paint in the French style of Impressionism. Now they are traveling to London to see if the famous artist John Singer Sargent will paint Charlotte's mother's portrait. In London, Charlotte and her best friend, Lizzy, stay in their own room at the Savoy Hotel, attend a fancydinner party with famous writers, watch boat races on the River Thames, learn about legendary London ghosts, and even visit a gypsy camp.

Illustrated with beautiful museum reproductions and exquisite watercolor paintings, the book also includes biographical sketches of the featured painters. This vibrant journal of Charlotte's exciting journey will make any reader long for lovely London.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3–5—This latest selection in Charlotte's exciting adventures takes the fictional child from Giverny in 1895 where her father is learning to paint "en plein air" to London. As in the earlier titles, Knight blends cameo appearances of historical figures into the fictional narrative. For example, Charlotte's mother tries to enlist artist John Singer Sargent to paint her portrait and is seated at a dinner party next to Mr. Henry James. Charlotte and her friend Lizzy visit many monumental landmarks, from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace. The text highlights both French and British culture; French phrases and historical facts are smoothly integrated within the text. Diary entries, watercolor paintings, and museum reproductions combine to create a detailed background. Featured artists' biographical information provides added depth to the period. There's much to explore in the mixed-media and watercolor art. Art aficionados and fans of Charlotte in Paris (2003) and Charlotte in Giverny (2000, both Chronicle) will enjoy these vivid British travels.—Meg Smith, Cumberland County Public Library, Fayetteville, NC
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From Booklist

Art-loving Charlotte, who has globe-trotted from Giverny to Paris to New York, now writes of her trip to London in 1895 in this handsomely illustrated journal. The family goes to England in hopes that Charlotte’s mother will be painted by John Singer Sargent, but that’s only a thread in this story, which is as much about new adventures as it is about art. As in previous books, much care and thought have been put into the book’s design. Sweet’s own illustrations are small gems, but there are interesting reproductions here as well. For readers who want to know more, there’s plenty of back matter to inform. A bloomin’ delight. Grades 2-5. --Ilene Cooper

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811856356
• ISBN-13: 978-0811856355
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #45,554 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #46 in Books > Children's Books > Literature & Fiction > Historical Fiction > Europe

More About the Author

I was about Charlotte's age when I set sail with my family on the S.S. Independence to Paris, where we were to live for six years. We then moved to Tunisia and, while we were there, I went to boarding school in Switzerland. Next we moved to Tripoli, Libya, where I had a spotted dog named Couscous, a lively donkey called Duncan, and more lizards than I could count. Because we moved so often my growing-up years were fragmented, and my childhood memories are very important to me - I turn to them for inspiration. I continue to keep in touch with my school friends in Paris and return to France whenever I can. It was on one of these trips that I discovered Giverny for myself and saw the wonderful collection of American Impressionist paintings in the Musée Americain. It inspired me to write the first book in the Charlotte series, Charlotte in Giverny. I should mention that I had no idea at the time that it would be the first in a series of Charlotte books - I thought it would be a one-time thing!

Here's what people say about my Charlotte series:

Charlotte in Giverny
"Part faux diary, part scrapbook, this charming volume teeters between picture book and novel.... a most appealing art history lesson." -- Publishers Weekly

Charlotte in Paris
"...reproductions of paintings, small watercolors, collages of objects Charlotte has saved, and a certain amount of French vocabulary adorn the utterly engaging text. Biographies of the painters, painting credits, and an author's note round out this charming offering." -- Booklist

Charlotte in New York
"This author-illustrator pair successfully continues the conceit of the child of a fictional 19th-century American painter living in Giverny, in Paris and now in New York. The pair's attention to historical detail is utterly winning. For example, Charlotte's entries in her diary about Monsieur Durand-Ruel's auto breaking down in Giverny, the crossing on the ship Champagne from Le Havre or the Havemeyers' ball in New York." -- Kirkus Reviews


Charlotte in London
"Art-loving Charlotte, who has globe-trotted from Giverny to Paris to New York, now writes of her trip to London in 1895 in this handsomely illustrated journal. The family goes to England in hopes that Charlotte's mother will be painted by John Singer Sargent, but that's only a thread in this story, which is as much about new adventures as it is about art. As in previous books, much care and thought have been put into the book's design. Sweet's own illustrations are small gems, but there are interesting reproductions here as well. For readers who want to know more, there's plenty of back matter to inform. A bloomin' delight." -- Booklist

I now have two grown daughters and live in New York's Hudson Valley with my Bill and our Brussels Griffon dogs. When I'm not writing or gardening, Bill and I are busy with our company, Catskill Mountain Pictures, scouting locations for film, fashion and television.

Where is Charlotte off to next? Misty, mysterious Venice! Stay tuned...

Joan

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Charming Charlotte, December 12, 2008

By 

Gar Hart (The Big Apple) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Charlotte in London (Hardcover)

What a pleasure to find that the delightful young
Charlotte Glidden is back, regaling us with another
of her adventures! This time she's gallivanting around
Queen Victoria's England, her story adorned as usual
with fascinating artwork of the 1890s her creator has
unearthed along with exquisite paintings of the period.
As always, she and her family and her pal Lizzie
run into various artists - this time, Sargent and Whistler,
Henry James and Saint Gaudens, among others - and,
also as always, we learn all kinds of whimsical things.
Did you know that "the Cotswolds" really means
"sheeps' pens"? Or how to make Raspberry Fool (for two)?
Best of all, Charlotte's tale gives us that nice,
nostalgic feeling of time-traveling into a sweet, distant
past that would have been a lot of fun to live in.
Encore, Charlotte - tres charmant !

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a book!, December 2, 2008

By 

N. Yektai - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Charlotte in London (Hardcover)

I adore this latest installment from the Charlotte series...The author, (as in previous Charlotte books) has selected some of the most exquisite examples of painting from the time (Charlotte journeys to London this time, the year is 1895). The paintings are woven seamlessly with Charlotte's sketches, collages, and postcards into a charming tale. I am buying a copy for each and every one of my nieces and nephews this Christmas--as well as for for my daughter-who has fallen in love with Charlotte from her previous adventures in Giverny, Paris and New York.