Moi and Marie Antoinette by Lynn Cullen and Amy Young
| Moi and Marie Antoinette by Lynn Cullen and Amy Young | |
|
| |
| Category: Children's Non-Fiction | |
| |
Reviewer: Sue Magee
 | |
| Summary: A very slightly fictionalised look at the life of Queen Marie Antoinette which stops mercifully short of her execution. It gives a more rounded background to the Queen than most text books do and is recommended for the newly confident reader and for sharing with those just reaching that point. | |
| Buy? Maybe | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 32 | Date: August 2008 |
| Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC | |
| ISBN: 978-0747597742 | |
|
Share on: | |
|
| |
Marie Antoinette and her pug dog, Sebastien, had an idyllic life in her native Austria. She was the fifteenth child of the Empress, who, in the traditions of the time, used her children to make marriages which would strengthen her own position. Marie Antoinette was told at the age of thirteen that she was to marry a Prince – the grandson of the King of France. Sebastien narrates this charming tale of Marie Antoinette's journey to France, her marriage, life at Versailles and the birth of her daughter Therese. It stops mercifully short of her execution.
It's never too early to introduce children to history. The devil might have the best tunes, but history certainly has the best stories. Most people will only have encountered Marie Antoinette and her infamous let them eat cake through the medium of school text books but this book neatly places her in context. She's a young girl, barely into her teens when she's forced to leave her home and travel to France. Forced into the strict life of the Court with only her dog to remind her of the life she left behind there was little chance that she would be happy.
The story could be twee but isn't. Sebastien as narrator is well done and there's a certain historical accuracy about this as Marie Antoinette did bring her pug with her to France, although the name is not known. He's a useful link between the carefree life that they led in Austria and the very constricted life of the French Court. The vocabulary in the book is such that it would not be beyond a newly confident reader, but there would be a lot of benefit in this book being shared with an adult as just about every page throws up something for discussion.
The book will appeal more to girls than to boys mainly because of the emphasis which is placed on clothes and jewels and the illustrations are all done in pastel shades. There's no reason why a boy couldn't enjoy the book, but somehow I doubt that it's one that they would choose to read. I was particularly impressed by the illustrations of Versailles – without being over-detailed they conveyed the size and grandeur of the palace particularly well.
I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy of the book to The Bookbag.
For another look at history for the newly confident reader we cautiously recommend A Picture History of Great Discoveries by Clarke Hutton – the illustrations are excellent but the text was written in the nineteen fifties and reflects some of the less commendable attitudes of the time. If France grabs their attention, Miss Louise Goes to Paris by Carolyn Hink and Emma Calder is an enjoyable picture book.
Please share on: 
Facebook, 
Twitter and
Instagram
You can read more book reviews or buy Moi and Marie Antoinette by Lynn Cullen and Amy Young at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Moi and Marie Antoinette by Lynn Cullen and Amy Young at Amazon.com.
Comments
Like to comment on this review?
Just send us an email and we'll put the best up on the site.
