Leather Shoe Charlie

by Gyeong- hwa Kim, Anna Balbusso (Illustrator), Elena Balbusso (Illustrator)

Overview

National Council for the Social Studies-Children’s Book Council: 2018 Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People

An appealing and educational story about the Industrial Revolution

Charlie’s most prized possession is the pair of shoes his grandfather made for him. The shoes bring him comfort as he and his family leave their small village and move to Manchester. But the pollution from the city’s many factories soon takes its toll on Charlie’s mother. Unfortunately, the medicine she needs is too expensive, unless Charlie can make an exceptional sacrifice.
 
This fascinating Trade Winds book presents readers with an engrossing story while also teaching them about Britain’s Industrial Revolution.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467467445
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	02/20/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	36
File size:	9 MB
Age Range:	6 - 10 Years

About the Author

Gyeong-hwa Kim received the gold medal in the 11th Changbi "Good Books for Children" competition. Her previous books include Keeper and One Day at the Gyeongbok Palace. She lives in South Korea.
 Anna & Elena Balbusso are sisters who live in Milan and have been working as a team in freelance illustration since 1998. Their works have been published throughout the world and have won numerous awards, including three consecutive gold medals from the Society of Illustrators. Visit their website at www.balbusso.com

Gyeong-hwa Kim received the gold medal in the 11th Changbi "Good Books for Children" competition. Her previous books include Keeper and One Day at the Gyeongbok Palace. She lives in South Korea.

Anna & Elena Balbusso are sisters who live in Milan and have been working as a team in freelance illustration since 1998. Their works have been published throughout the world and have won numerous awards, including three consecutive gold medals from the Society of Illustrators. Visit their website at www.balbusso.com

Editorial Reviews

01/16/2017
Charlie is the proud owner of a pair of leather shoes made for him by his cobbler grandfather. But customers are few, and, like many other families during Britain’s 19th-century industrial revolution, Charlie’s family must leave their village for Manchester, the only place they can find work. His mother coughs, and neighbor women recommend tea, but there’s no money to buy it and nothing to sell—except Charlie’s shoes. Sell them he does, and with the proceeds he buys the tea. South Korean author Kim’s story ends there. Does Charlie’s mother recover? What will he wear on his feet now? Does he ever get to return to his village? Kim chooses to focus on Charlie’s saintly act, and his initiative and faithfulness as a son. The Balbusso sisters depict the industrial gloom of Manchester with liveliness and sensitivity, using curving, forceful strokes to emphasize the blackened factory chimneys, dark brick tenements, and Charlie’s dreams of shoemaking, which hang like ribbons in the smoggy air. Even without the satisfaction of knowing how things turn out, readers will feel as though they’ve encountered someone they care about. Ages 6–10. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

School Library Journal
"A valuable avenue to humanize and spark discussion about the astonishing changes in the way people lived and worked at the turn of the 19th century."

From the Publisher

04/01/2017
Gr 2–4—A sweet story of a child's sacrifice introduces the topic of the Industrial Revolution in England and around the world. This imagined scenario takes place around 1800, when Charlie and his family leave their dying village to find work in the textile mills in Manchester. The hard work and smoky conditions take their toll; the boy's mother becomes ill. Wanting to buy her tea to ease her cough, Charlie sells his most precious possessions: the leather shoes made for him by his cobbler grandfather. Like the products of the emerging global economy illustrated in the back matter, this tale is the result of international cooperation. Originally written and published in Korea as part of an educational series about economy and cultures, it was illustrated by a pair of Italian twins, edited for an English edition by a New Zealand author/editor/publisher, and published in the UK before being brought to a U.S. audience. The mixed-media art and thoughtful design are stunning. Sophisticated images show the grim world of industrial Manchester, all gritty grays and browns. Charlie's red leather shoes stand out. The tale of Charlie's family is left unfinished; readers will have to imagine it for themselves. Teachers using this book to introduce the idea of globalization will want to point out that the concluding map omits references to the slave trade, on which the production of sugar and cotton depended. VERDICT A valuable avenue to humanize and spark discussion about the astonishing changes in the way people lived and worked at the turn of the 19th century. An additional purchase.—Kathleen Isaacs, Children's Literature Specialist, Pasadena, MD

School Library Journal