The Queen of France

How does a young child feel when she wakes up? Today, Rose feels royal. So, diving into her dressing up box, she dons jewellery and a crown and, as the Queen of France, descends to find her family. The tale continues, with superbly crafted conversations between the Queen of France, aka Rose, her mother and her father. Each parent allows the fantasy to remain and grow, conversing in role whilst Rose explores life as another being. When the going gets tough, the Queen returns to her room and removes her courtly garb, swiftly reappearing as Rose. This book made me laugh as well as those to whom I read it. The children loved the way Rose adopted a ‘grownup way of speaking’ when she was Queen, and giggled at the illustrations of her courtly behaviour when she was dressed up. The colour palette is quiet throughout, Rose herself donning and shedding queenly attributes as required. A great inspiration for dressing up and role play for young children, this book should also extend their use of oral language.