Tim and Charlotte (Tim books) [Hardcover]

Edward Ardizzone (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Tim books

One dark and stormy day, Tim and Ginger found a little girl, Charlotte, washed up on the beach. Who was she? Where had she come from? They didn't know - and neither did she!

First published between 1936 and 1977, Edward Ardizzone's classic Little Tim books have been loved by generations of children for their spirited adventures and totally matter-of-fact tellings by a storyteller who spoke straight to children's imaginations. As Maurice Sendak has said, "The opening lines of the very first story were a droll Ishmael-like call to adventure that gave great promise of wonderful things to come."

We are proud to bring Little Tim to a new generation of readers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Some of the saltiest and most satisfying picture books created during the last generation." -- -Maurice Sendak

"Told and pictured by an adult genius [who] knows what childhood feels like when it is sad, glad and victorious." -- -Eleanor Farjeon

About the Author

Edward Ardizzone was born on October 16, 1900, the eldest of five children. In 1905 his family moved to Ipswich, England, where they lived until Ardizzone was fourteen. He later wrote that "it was here that I learnt to know and love the little coastal steamers that I have drawn so often in the Tim books."

The beloved illustrator of more than 170 books, Mr. Ardizzone was awarded the Kate Greenaway Medal in 1956 and the CBE (Commander of the British Empire) in 1971. The adventures of Tim are firm favorites with readers young and old throughout the world. Mr. Ardizzone died in 1979.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (March 31, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688176801
• ISBN-13: 978-0688176808
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 7.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,782,867 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Believable story about friendship and loyalty, January 31, 2001

By 

Eileen Galen (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tim and Charlotte (Tim books) (Hardcover)

Edward Ardizzone had the knack of writing and illustrating wonderfully satisfying adventure stories for young children. You can read this story to a five year old, and both of you will interested - even enthralled. There is a quietude to his illustrations that my children loved. Pen and ink with watercolor washes, they convey the mood of an English seacoast town, the moods of this story's many characters, and allow room for the viewers' moods and varied reactions to the text. Children don't so much gawk at his drawings as enter them - safely.

In this story, despite wearing a life belt, a little girl nearly drowns, and is rescued by the boys Tim and Ginger. They carry her limp body into Tim's house where "Tim's mother put her to bed with lots of hot water bottles and blankets." No one knows who she might be. The doctor is called, and her convalescence begins. Her recovery is rocky and it is that process, with plenty of drama, that forms the rest of the story.

Ardizzone's messages are in favor of friendship and sticking out one's neck for others. There are some disturbing but manageable events in the story that parents might want to talk about with children. (Charlotte's amnesia; the absence of her parents; Tim's treatment at school - for writing to Charlotte, later - whom he misses.)

Another wonderful children's book by Edward Ardizzone.

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful memories, June 15, 2011

By 

Gillian (NJ USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tim and Charlotte (Little Tim) (Hardcover)

The Little Tim books are the first books I remember reading. I remember going to the library as a small child in England, and sitting on my favourite red chair in the children's section and reading and rereading the whole series, and then taking one or two home with me to read again. Tim and Charlotte was my favourite, so much so I actually bought it from Amazon last year. And it was just as good as I remembered. Tim is a brave little boy who loves the sea, and gets into adventures. They are wonderful, timeless stories (my mother also read them as a little girl), but what makes them so special are Edward Ardizzone's illustrations. My children grew up in the US and, at the time, these books weren't readily available here, so they never read them. It is so nice to find they are now, thanks to the internet.

5.0 out of 5 stars Litle Tim stories, September 20, 2009

By 

Paul G. Zomberg "PGZOM" (Mount Airy, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tim and Charlotte (Little Tim) (Hardcover)

He's only "Little" Tim, but he has adventures worthy of any Old Salt. Edward Ardizzone gives us tales and illustrations of daring-do on the English coast, back in the day when ordinary little boys were taking on tasks that today would challenge our "super-heroes."

There are 10 or 12 books in this series, which our six children (five girls, one boy) have all enjoyed. Thank you to Frances Lincoln Children's Books for republishing these titles in quality bindings.