Action!: How Movies Began

(Hardback)

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A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of the Year

In this stunning (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) picture book, award-winning nonfiction creator Meghan McCarthy tells the story of how motion pictures came to be invented and the story of the many people who helped create them.

Movies take us on adventures, introduce us to new worlds, and make us feel, but how did they start

In her trademark easy-to-follow narrative voice, this fact-filled picture book tells the story of the evolution of movies and the people who worked hard to create themboth on-screen and behind the scenes. In fascinating detail, she shows how early photography capturing motion became silent films, which led to the first color films and how those building blocks allowed for the inspiring movies of today.

Reviews

McCarthy breezes through more than a century of cinematic history in this whirlwind tour of select technologies, genres, and films. . Embellished with oversize eyes, playfuAn authors note justifies the idiosyncratic high-level coverage, describing the book as a jumping-off point. Extensive back matter concludes. * -- Publishers Weekly *
This attractive and accessible overview of film history also offers a remarkable amount of absorbing detail ... introduces trailblazers such as Georges Mlis, Josephine Baker, Charlie Chaplin, and Buster Keaton... the main body of the book will be enough for readers seeking a brief history, those looking to build on this foundation will appreciate the lengthy bibliography and the list of films cited in the book. * -- BOOKLIST *
*Movie history deserves no less than this stunning encapsulation, cleverly designed and gorgeously rendered. * Kirkus Reviews -- *STARRED REVIEW* *
McCarthy presents an ambitious encapsulation of the birth of movies with humor and modern touches.

Blending her customary, big-eyed cartoons with a more sophisticated realism, McCarthy offers a stirring, occasionally quirky deep dive into early film. From Eadweard Muybridges galloping horse to the last movies of the silent era, a selection of famous films is presented as McCarthy chronicles cinema history. Meticulous art captures architectural details, silent film stars, and even the worlds earliest example of a silly cat video (The Boxing Cats from 1894). The book links early films with movies kids may have seen; the Maschinenmensch ofMetropolisis paired with C-3PO of Star Wars, Harold LloydsSafety LastwithHugoandBack to the Future, and so on. Some inclusions, like Johnny Depps appearance inBenny & Joon, are unfortunate in light of their stars behavior. McCarthy briefly addresses the prejudice confronted by people of color in the film industry, with special attention paid to Josephine Baker and contemporary films likeBlack Panther. Backmatter includes five stories from films past, all worthy of their own books. The overall effect is less exhausting than it is inspiring. Kids will reach the end and likely be disappointed that the story doesnt continue.(This book was reviewed digitally.)

Movie history deserves no less than this stunning encapsulation, cleverly designed and gorgeously rendered.

(authors note, bibliography)(Nonfiction picture book. 7-12) -- Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW * 6/15/22 *

Author Bio

Meghan McCarthy is the award-winning author and illustrator of many books for children, includingEarmuffs for Everyone!: How Chester Greenwood Became Known as the Inventor of Earmuffs;Daredevil: The Daring Life of Betty Skelton;Pop!: The Invention of Bubble Gum;City Hawk: The Story of Pale Male;Seabiscuit the Wonder Horse; All That Trash; and Action! A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, she lives in Brooklyn, New York. Visit her at Meghan-McCarthy.com.