Charley, Charlotte and the Golden Canary

Charlie and Charlotte and the Golden Canary, published in 1967 by Oxford University Press, is a modern fairy tale about two friends who grew up together on the same street and are suddenly separated when Charlotte’s family moves into a new block of flats. A sad Charlie buys himself a canary to console himself; the bird escapes from its cage and leads the boy straight to his girlfriend’s house.

Keeping, as he has noted in numerous interviews, tried again and again to recreate the vanished world of his childhood in south London, in Lambeth, a hub of markets and docks, in his cartoon stories. In the story of Charlie and Charlotte, he is helped by a golden canary, flitting from page to page. It magically connects friends, building a bridge between worlds, or perhaps between two paradigms, the world that is passing and doomed, and the world that replaces it, looking to the future, with new homes, dreams and rhythms.

Charles Keeping has exhibited his work all over the world, illustrated over a hundred books, and has been nominated for numerous awards for his achievements in children’s illustrated books. “Charlie, Charlotte and the Golden Canary” brought him one of the most prestigious awards, the Kate Greenaway Medal.