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Little Tim
Tim and Charlotte by Edward Ardizzone
Charlotte lives in a big house with lots of toys. Most little girls would be happy with so many toys, but not Charlotte! She wants to play with real friends and have real adventures. And on one dark and stormy day, Charlotte pops up — literally — in Tim and Ginger’s maritime world. Her adventures — and a veritable sea of delightful troubles — are just beginning. The Little Tim books have been cherished by readers young and old for their spirited adventures told by a storyteller who speaks straight to children's imaginations, and for their indelible portrait of life in a sleepy English coastal community.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1951
55 people want to read
About the author
Edward Ardizzone
192 books36 followersEdward Jeffrey Irving Ardizzone, CBE, RA was an English artist, writer and illustrator, chiefly of children's books.
For Tim All Alone (Oxford, 1956), which he wrote and illustrated, Ardizzone won the inaugural Kate Greenaway Medal from the Library Association, recognising the year's best children's book illustration by a British subject.
For the 50th anniversary of the Medal (1955–2005) it was named one of the top ten winning works, selected by a panel to compose the ballot for a public election of the all-time favourite.
For Tim All Alone (Oxford, 1956), which he wrote and illustrated, Ardizzone won the inaugural Kate Greenaway Medal from the Library Association, recognising the year's best children's book illustration by a British subject.
For the 50th anniversary of the Medal (1955–2005) it was named one of the top ten winning works, selected by a panel to compose the ballot for a public election of the all-time favourite.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 17, 2018
Tim and Ginger are walking along the beach when they spot a girl floating unconscious in the sea, they carry her home and Tim's mother calls the doctor. When the girl regains consciousness she has lost her memory. They call her Charlotte and she helps around the house and enjoys playing with Tim. Eventually her guardian is found, Charlotte happens to be her real name and she is a wealthy orphan looked after by an Aunt, so reluctantly goes back to her big house. Despite her big house with lots of toys, she isn't happy and longs to help cook in the kitchen but her Aunt doesn't think this appropriate for a young lady. Charlotte becomes sad and despite the best doctors and tonics and pills she becomes ill. Tim misses Charlotte and gets into fights as the other boys ridicule friendship with a girl. Luckily Charlotte is seen by a doctor that realises what is making her unhappy and she is sent to stay with Tim.
We love Edward Ardizzone' s illustrations, the scene of Charlotte floating in the murky sea with Tim and Ginger lit up by the evening sun is exquisite, the colours are beautiful and the messy carefree pen and ink line drawings are so inspiring I want to find the ink instantly and have a go. I love the fact some pages have several small drawings often accompanied with speech bubbles. The pictures of Charlotte helping around the house are wonderful, making beds, darning socks and a lovely scene of rolling out pastry with a cat standing on a chair, paws on the table watching.
There are a couple of scenes of boys fighting which some parents might want to avoid.
We love Edward Ardizzone' s illustrations, the scene of Charlotte floating in the murky sea with Tim and Ginger lit up by the evening sun is exquisite, the colours are beautiful and the messy carefree pen and ink line drawings are so inspiring I want to find the ink instantly and have a go. I love the fact some pages have several small drawings often accompanied with speech bubbles. The pictures of Charlotte helping around the house are wonderful, making beds, darning socks and a lovely scene of rolling out pastry with a cat standing on a chair, paws on the table watching.
There are a couple of scenes of boys fighting which some parents might want to avoid.
June 30, 2023
I'm excited to read my first Little Tim book, it's new to me although a complete series of these picture books was published between 1936 and 1977.
My goodness, there was so much to this story. Like the opposite of one of today's high-concept books.
A lot of thought and care, a lot of soul, I'd say, went into Charlotte's saga: for example, if you read this book notice how the quotes in comic-style bubbles -- they're all written in cursive. Impossibly perfect cursive, actually.
Although the ending might seem incredible to card-carrying adults, I have no doubt that ending will be totally plausible to picture book readers. (Of course, no spoiler from me, no no!)
FIVE stars to author and artist Edward Ardizzone... plus a ton of respect.
My goodness, there was so much to this story. Like the opposite of one of today's high-concept books.
A lot of thought and care, a lot of soul, I'd say, went into Charlotte's saga: for example, if you read this book notice how the quotes in comic-style bubbles -- they're all written in cursive. Impossibly perfect cursive, actually.
Although the ending might seem incredible to card-carrying adults, I have no doubt that ending will be totally plausible to picture book readers. (Of course, no spoiler from me, no no!)
FIVE stars to author and artist Edward Ardizzone... plus a ton of respect.
April 7, 2024
I love the Little Tim books for their exciting adventures, emotional intelligence, and brilliant illustrations. But be advised if you're a progressive parent: Charlotte is shown in a very traditional role, doing all the household chores, while the boys get to play. She has very little agency and only goes back to Tim's home because she is depressed, not because she advocated for herself. Not a great model for girls today.
August 24, 2022
A great book for language development (vocabulary, higher level grammar) and for encouraging prediction skills and auditory memory -- all important for early and elementary learners.
I would recommend this book for classroom read-alouds, and for speech-language therapy. And at home -- all kids seem to love these books!
I would recommend this book for classroom read-alouds, and for speech-language therapy. And at home -- all kids seem to love these books!
March 29, 2020
A delightful story with the delighful illustrations of Edward Ardizzone. A lonely little girl finds friendship and happiness.
April 6, 2016
Ardizzone wrote a number of books involving Tim. In this one, Tim and his brother Ginger find a little girl washed up on the beach and take her home to their mother to look after.
The story has a lot of movement in it and addresses jealousy, teasing, loneliness and above all, friendship. There is the problem of class being dismissed by those too young to 'stick to the rules' of material privilege. It's nice the way Ardizzone uses the 'voice of babes' for social comment. I found it old-fashioned and solid in providing a story worth reading. In a way it came across as a much tamer, picture-book version of a Just William tale.
Ardizzone was an official artist for the Second Word War. His illustrations capture a lovely feeling of life. Polite review because it is a polite book, having been first published in 1951. I think it is an era book definitely worth having in your pile.
The story has a lot of movement in it and addresses jealousy, teasing, loneliness and above all, friendship. There is the problem of class being dismissed by those too young to 'stick to the rules' of material privilege. It's nice the way Ardizzone uses the 'voice of babes' for social comment. I found it old-fashioned and solid in providing a story worth reading. In a way it came across as a much tamer, picture-book version of a Just William tale.
Ardizzone was an official artist for the Second Word War. His illustrations capture a lovely feeling of life. Polite review because it is a polite book, having been first published in 1951. I think it is an era book definitely worth having in your pile.
October 9, 2016
Edward Ardizzone is far and away my favorite author of picture books. I love both his illustrations and Tim's adventures. They are like Tintin books for a younger audience. But my very favorite Ardizzone book is Sarah and Simon and No Red Paint.
December 3, 2023
All Charlotte wants is a happy home! Parents: Tim is teased in school for writing a letter to Charlotte. "Coo, baby Tim is in love," say the British hooligans. I skip over that part when I read the book to groups.
October 13, 2012
this book was my favourite as a child.
April 3, 2016
One of my absolute favourites as a kid!
March 20, 2018
This picture book reads like no editor went over the manuscript. It's full of run-on sentences and tangents that don't add anything to the overarching plot.
The title is very unimaginative and just completely skips over Ginger, the third protagonist; and the story is more about Charlotte than Tim, anyway. (At the beginning the perspective focuses on Tim and Ginger, halfway through we follow Charlotte and in the end I guess we're back to Tim.)
This book is so inconsistent!
The thing that bothers me the most is the lettering: sentences are broken up in the worst places, making reading much harder than it needs to be. I would have given it a higher rating if the lettering wasn't so atrocious.
I did really enjoy the plot - it's so wonderfully from the 50s - and I actually felt something when Charlotte goes back to her real home and becomes depressed.
What I really want is for someone to take this plot and rewrite the story into either a children's novel or picture book, because this is just a confused mess.
(If I remember correctly from my university classes on Children's Literature, this was written before we had separate categories for picture books and other children's literature. From a didactic point of view, to get a look at one of the first picture books, I would recommend this.)
The title is very unimaginative and just completely skips over Ginger, the third protagonist; and the story is more about Charlotte than Tim, anyway. (At the beginning the perspective focuses on Tim and Ginger, halfway through we follow Charlotte and in the end I guess we're back to Tim.)
This book is so inconsistent!
The thing that bothers me the most is the lettering: sentences are broken up in the worst places, making reading much harder than it needs to be. I would have given it a higher rating if the lettering wasn't so atrocious.
I did really enjoy the plot - it's so wonderfully from the 50s - and I actually felt something when Charlotte goes back to her real home and becomes depressed.
What I really want is for someone to take this plot and rewrite the story into either a children's novel or picture book, because this is just a confused mess.
(If I remember correctly from my university classes on Children's Literature, this was written before we had separate categories for picture books and other children's literature. From a didactic point of view, to get a look at one of the first picture books, I would recommend this.)
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews