The Queen of France (Junior Library Guild Selection)

$16.99
by Tim Wadham

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Dressed up as a queen, a little girl has some endearing and funny audiences with two most obliging subjects — her mother and father. When Rose wakes up one morning feeling royal, she dons her necklaces, bracelets, and crown. Soon the Queen of France emerges to survey her domain, disapproving of Rose’s mother’s thorny gardening choices and asking Rose’s father where the Royal Physician may be found. The odd thing is, when Rose returns to look for the Queen of France, she’s nowhere to be seen. And when the imperious queen comes back, she’s curious to know what Rose’s parents would think if she traded places with their little girl? With charming illustrations by Kady MacDonald Denton and a humorous tale by Tim Wadham, here is a sweet homage to the easy affection between parents and an imaginative child. PreS-Gr 2-With a few props from the make-believe basket and a royal imagination, Rose transforms into the Queen of France. She then sets out searching for Rose. (Later Rose goes in search of the Queen, but, alas, the two never meet.) The child's parents lovingly fulfill their roles, playing along and encouraging their daughter's imaginative game. When the Queen suggests that she'd like to trade places with Rose, the adults agree, but admit they would miss her terribly. Of course the Queen of France takes off her crown in the end, and Rose comes to dinner. The text is at once both quiet and lively, creating a three-dimensional character. It will read easily for the first or one hundredth time-it's a story that will never grow tired. Soft, delicate cartoons in ink, watercolor, and gouache capture the essence of Rose and her alter ego. With minimal line, the illustrator creates real, engaging characters. Several pages of text are decorated with simple frames of stars, crowns, and roses. The quiet simplicity is feminine without the frou-frou and frills. Rose will be an inspiration for many young princesses and a great character to share with small groups or one-on-one.-Carolyn Janssen, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. Wadham makes a terrific debut; his rhythmic prose and comic pacing feel elegant and effortless, and he handles his diminutive fantasist and her parents with the kind of unaffected empathy that can elude more experienced authors. He's also fortunate in his collaborator—Denton (A Visitor for Bear) wonderfully conveys the story's impishness, emotional subtleties, and familial affections. Just watching the queen strut her regal stuff is worth the price alone —Publishers Weekly (starred review) Will read easily for the first or one hundredth time–it’s a story that will never grow tired. Soft, delicate cartoons in ink, watercolor, and gouache capture the essence of Rose and her alter ego…The quiet simplicity is feminine without the frou-frou and frills. Rose will be an inspiration for many young princesses —School Library Journal (starred review) Tim Wadham  is a librarian who has served on many prestigious awards committees and is also very involved in children’s theater. This is his debut picture book. He lives in St. Louis, Missouri. Kady MacDonald Denton  is the illustrator of the  New York Times  best-seller  A Visitor for Bear  and two other Bear and Mouse stories by Bonny Becker ,  as well as  Two Homes  by Claire Masurel. She lives in Ontario, Canada.

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