Young Charlotte, Filmmaker

by Frank Viva

Overview

Young Charlotte is a filmmaker who loves everything that’s black and white, including spiders, penguins, and the old movies that she sees with her dad at the Golden Theatre (where the floors are sticky). With her camera at the ready wherever she goes, she finds inspiration for movies everywhere she looks. But when her colorful parents and colorful classmates just don’t “get” her, she’s ready to give up—until a lucky encounter with a film curator at The Museum of Modern Art in New York changes her perspective. Inspired by the films she sees at MoMA and stories of other pioneering directors, Charlotte gets to work. And it’s hard work! But when her movie finally premieres at the Museum, Charlotte is thrilled to be doing exactly what she loves best.

A follow-up to Frank Viva’s Young Frank, Architect and perfect for film lovers, aspiring directors, and artists of all stripes, Young Charlotte, Filmmaker is an inspiring tale.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780870709500
Publisher:	The Museum of Modern Art
Publication date:	09/15/2015
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	1,103,845
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 12.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

In addition to illustrating ten New Yorker covers in the past two years, illustrator and designer Frank Viva has published two award-winning and bestselling children’s books—Along a Long Road was named one of the New York Times’ Ten Best Illustrated Books of 2011. Viva is also founder of the branding and design agency Viva & Co. and cofounder of Whigby, a stationery company. He lives in Toronto.

Editorial Reviews

07/13/2015
In a companion to 2013’s Young Frank, Architect, Viva traces the artistic development of a filmmaker who sees the world in black and white. Or at least she would prefer to: Charlotte “just wants to take a straw and drink all the color right out of the air.” While others love color, “Charlotte wishes that others could see just how wonderful black and white can be.” She gets her chance after she meets a woman named Scarlet, who works at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Scarlet loves “how black and white clear away the clutter,” helps Charlotte improve her craft, and arranges for a screening of one of Charlotte’s films at the museum. While the screening leaves Charlotte committed to black-and-white filmmaking, Viva is under no such constraints, spiking his flattened, fluid shapes with mustard, indigo, and carnation pink (the images are in line with Viva’s previous work yet could have easily been influenced by MoMA’s recent exhibition of Matisse cutouts). Like its predecessor, it’s a playful tribute to the joys and struggles of creating art. Ages 3–7. Agent: Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

10/01/2015
Gr 1–3—This follow-up to Viva's Young Frank, Architect (MoMA, 2013) enters the funky world of a young filmmaker named Charlotte, who loves black-and-white movies and filming her cat. When she meets Scarlet, the film curator at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, she learns that the woman loves black-and-white films, too, because "it clears away the clutter." Scarlet loves Charlotte's film so much that she screens it at MoMA, where there are "hordes of colorful people" who at first seem to disapprove of her work, but Charlotte's film wins them over. Charlotte wonders if she should be more colorful, but then everyone encourages her to stay black and white. The tale has a clear lesson—stick to your artistic guns!—and Viva doesn't shy away from honoring creativity and unique perspectives. New York's signage creates engaging backgrounds, as do the speech bubbles with Viva's trademark typography. The collage-style images go beyond just black and white with the addition of taupe, as well as mustard, coral, olive green, and French blue; they call to mind Maira Kalman's work in the odd details and the surprising shapes of the characters, whose hands and hair mirror Matisse cut-outs (a recent exhibit at MoMA). This is a beautiful picture book for a museum gift shop, and one that young artists (or artistic-minded parents) will appreciate. VERDICT A quirky choice, especially for those looking for books about creativity and artistic choice.—Lisa Nowlain, Darien Library, CT

School Library Journal

2015-07-28
Tiny, bespectacled Charlotte is a young filmmaker who has discovered the joy of black-and-white cinematography. In fact, color gives her a headache. Using her very black cat, Smudge, as a model, she shoots lots of monochrome footage, which is not always understood by her classmates. At the Museum of Modern Art, she encounters an artistic soul mate named Scarlet, who works in the film department. Scarlet introduces Charlotte to old black-and-white classics and arranges a screening of Charlotte's film at the museum. The film is shown to great acclaim; she is the talk of the town, and even her classmates "embrace Charlotte in all her black-and-whiteness." Mirroring the sophistication of Charlotte's artistic ambitions, Viva's design is funky and graphic, mostly monochrome and tan with touches of fuchsia, often for skin tones. He has a lot of fun with Manhattan signage, which pops out of the black endpapers and appears throughout the book. Surrealist figures populate the streets and peer out of windows. Aftermatter offers further information on the MoMA's film department as well as brief bios of Lotte Reiniger and Jean Arp. Similar in tone and feel to Young Frank, Architect (2013), this companion acts as both promotion for the MoMA and an encouragement to budding artists to think outside the box and pursue their dreams. (Picture book. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews