The creator of the world's oldest surviving full-length animated film is celebrated in this straightforward biography. Born in 1899, Lotte Reiniger was enthralled by the cinema and would tell her own stories to other children by creating tales with cut-paper silhouettes. That skill turned out to have big benefits when she caught the attention of director Paul Wegener. Soon she was designing and directing short films of her own. It was when she was offered the daunting proposal to try her hand at a full-length animated feature film--The Adventures of Prince Achmed--that she invented the tricktisch, a wooden tower that would allow her to film scenes with multiple panes of glass, aka the first multiplane camera. Winters keeps the storytelling crisp and to the point, avoiding any mention of Achmed's racial stereotyping. Schu's art, meanwhile, brings the magic of Reiniger's cut paper technique to life on these pages, integrating the silhouettes with her trials and triumphs. The book is not without its charms but sadly lacks the originality that made Reiniger the master of visual arts as we remember her today. Pairing this book with Fiona Robinson's Out of the Shadows: How Lotte Reiniger Made the First Animated Fairytale Movie (2022) could allow for a more rounded look at this pioneering artist's life. (This book was reviewed digitally.) An unadorned telling of an artist deserving of additional praise. (timeline, author's note, sources, glossary) (Picture-book biography. 5-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

With a refrain of "snip, snip, snip!" the story introduces readers to German film pioneer Lotte Reiniger (1899-1981). Lotte's adolescence coincided with the dawn of cinema, a time when movies "were silent but filled with magical sights." She utilized her Scherenschnitte ("scissor cuts") skills to create her own paper-cut puppet shows, eventually seeking the guidance and partnership of cinema professionals. Success with early stop-motion experimentation, along with acclaim for a groundbreaking four-minute animated film, led to a wealthy patron. Reiniger, assisted by her husband and a small crew, worked for nearly three years to complete a sixty-five-minute animated movie titled The Adventures of Prince Achmed, which mesmerized audiences. Schu's exquisite digital illustrations possess a strong sense of illumination and depth, often suggesting a tactile quality, as if constructed from paper. Visually, much of the book is shadowy and dark, particularly around the perimeter of pages, simulating the experience of watching a shadow puppet play; however, bursts of radiant color spotlight (literally and figuratively) key areas of interest. A helpful author's note identifies the Chinese origins of paper cutting and Reiniger's specific contributions to filmmaking (some of which are often incorrectly accredited to Walt Disney). Additional back matter includes a timeline, a bibliography, and a glossary. See also Robinson's Out of the Shadows: How Lotte Reiniger Made the First Animated Fairytale Movie (rev. 3/22). Patrick GallJanuary/February 2023 p.115 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

A "snip, snip, snip!" refrain fittingly compels this matter-of-fact chronicle of German animator Charlotte "Lotte" Reiniger (1899--1981). Fond of making scherenschnitte-style paper silhouettes, she channels her passion for film into creating jointed puppets and putting on shows for classmates. Acting school provides an opening to the movie industry, and she's soon making stop-motion animation with silhouette figures. When an opportunity to work on a full-length animated feature arises, Reiniger finds reason to innovate with creations such as the multiplane camera. Emphasizing chiaroscuro via a limited palette, digital depictions from Schu appropriately foreground silhouettes rather than the figure herself. Dream-centered text by Winters articulates the labor put in by its subject, making for an informative account of a successful life in the movie business, involving "a pair of scissors, a great deal of patience, and her talented hands." Back matter includes a timeline, author's note, and glossary. Ages 4--8. (Jan.)

Growing up in Berlin in the early 1900s, Lotte Reiniger used a traditional German art of scissor-cut paper for creating silhouette puppet-play characters with movable joints. She was spellbound by movies, a relatively new medium, and became determined to develop a way of recreating her puppet plays as films. Her parents supported her plan to study acting with Paul Wegener, who was using stop-action techniques to create animation. Learning from him and other filmmakers, she made a number of popular short films and later full-length features. Her experiments with techniques to give depth to her sets led her to invent the first multiplane camera. The book concludes with Reiniger's first full-length movie earning worldwide acclaim. Focusing on the artist's dedication to her craft and contributions to her field, rather than her personal life, this picture book offers insights into her achievements as well as the early history of animated films. Schu's handsome digital artwork makes good use of silhouettes as well as dramatic lighting effects to illustrate Reiniger's career while drawing children into her story.

Gr 1--4--This story shines a light on artist, moviemaker, inventor, and trailblazer Lotte Reiniger. Born in Germany, Reiniger loved using paper and scissors to make beautiful art. One day her grandmother took her to the theater to see a silent movie. The child thought it was magical and decided that she wanted to make movies, making characters cut from paper called silhouettes. Winters and Schu do an excellent job in telling the story of Reiniger, who created the first animated film and is indirectly responsible for all of the animated cartoons and movies audiences have enjoyed for generations. It is story of hope, rejection, and determination, and is inspiring to all artists. VERDICT A wonderful addition to public, school, and classroom collections.--Laura Ellis