The Queen's progress Book

A remarkable introduction to Queen Elizabeth I, this story follows the "queen's progress" (her annual "vacation" during which she leads a caravan across the countryside). I wondered at first it focusing on this particular aspect of the queen's reign was limiting the scope too much; after all, so much of her life happened when she was *not* on holiday. But, in Mannis' skillful hands, we receive a full portrait of this remarkable woman, humanitarian and ruler. Each letter in the alphabet heads a four-line rhyme, then there is factual information to further elucidate on the points being made. (And big kudos for not cheating on the letters X or Z!!!) The illustrations are beautiful and detailed and really transported me into that time period.

The thoroughness of this biography on Queen Elizabeth I is understandable when one reads the author's bio and realizes that she initially set out to write a full-length novel about the Queen. When that faltered, someone suggested she write a children's book instead. The remarkable thing here is that she could distill all her years of research into this compact format. No small feat!

All in all, I highly recommend this book for young readers (or any readers!) interested in learning more about this astounding human being. (Due to the length of the picture book, and depth of subject matter, I recommend it for the older picture book crowd on up.)