This international narrative reveals a son’s sacrificial love for his mother while introducing the reader to Britain’s Industrial Revolution. Students can see how this mirrors the working and environmental conditions of the United States during the same time period. Includes Notes on History, Key Terms, Timeline.

Nice children's historical book about the industrial revolution with beautiful illustations. Well writen and would make a nice addition to any child's library. ( )

This is a great intro to the industrial revolution for young children. The main character is easy for children to relate to . His valued possession, a nice pair of shoes, is easily understood to be valuable by young readers and helps to make them understand how kind the sacrifice Charlie makes is. The illustrations are lovely and do a great job of depicting the time period in an engaging way. ( )

I loved this book! It was historical without being "boring". The pictures were well done and contained just the right about of detail. I can't wait to share this with friends who have kids. Kids learn without realizing it. The flow of the book was what I was impressed with most. ( )

This interesting picture book takes the young reader into the stark reality of the British Industrial Revolution when a family of shoe cobblers moves from the village into the city of Manchester where machines, crowded streets, and more crowded tenement housing makes life for them and those around them barely sustainable.

The illustrations are "abstract-ish" and bold using browns, grays, blacks, and russet to take the reader into this new era. The story is sweet and teaches a lesson in sacrifice for those we love. Charlie is so happy and proud to wear the shoes his grandfather made for him. And in his new life the very fact that he wears such wonderful shoes causes folks to tag him with the name,"Leather Shoe Charlie." Even in the bleakness that was Industrial Manchester when labor laws were unheard of and hours for adults and children alike were long, hard, and sometimes dangerous, a ray of light shines in the sweetness of Charlie.

The book actually ends with two pages of facts about the Industrial Age, a new Global Economy, and a Timeline. These facts would be nice for classroom use and for homeschool units.

This Trade Winds Series promises to be quite good. I look forward to my next review in the series, Father's Road (a story of the Silk Road).

DISCLOSURE: I was provided a complimentary copy by Eerdman's to facilitate a review. Opinions expressed are my own and I was not compensated ( )