The Queen's Shadow

Starred review from January 1, 2015
When a queen, looking severe in her ball gown, suddenly misses her shadow at her own ball, the visual capabilities of her guests are put to the test in this mystery infused with natural science.The Royal Detective, a mantis shrimp, confronts each guest to determine which might have taken advantage of the chaos following a thunderclap and momentary loss of light to steal the shadow. Each-chameleon, shark, snake, goat, dragonfly, colossal squid, pigeon-has an alibi, however: His or her attention and sight were focused elsewhere during the moments in question. By the time two young (sea) urchins provide the amusing solution, readers will have encountered multiple definitions of sight. Double-page, digitally worked pen-and-ink illustrations offer a look at the scene from each guest's perspective and provide visual explanations for unique ways of seeing. Areas of light and dark, perspectives from above and the side, washed-out and saturated color are used to reveal the scope and limits of specific types of sight. Inset text boxes provide descriptions of how sight works for each creature. The slightly formal prose and zany details and dialogue accentuate the silliness of the narrative. Backmatter includes an overview of the mechanics of sight in humans, more about each animal and a glossary; there is no resource list. Wonderfully odd and cleverly informative. (Informational picture book. 7-10)

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March 1, 2015

Gr 3-6-This highly successful blend of fact and fiction uses a fun tale to impart information about the visual abilities of various animals. When the queen's shadow goes missing at a royal party, all of the guests become suspects. Was it Sir Chameleon? Captain Shark? Dr. Pigeon? Each of the eight guests is questioned and eventually cleared by the queen's royal detective, Mantis Shrimp. The text and the illustrations are pleasantly surprising and will hold readers' attention throughout. Playful and even complex in places, the language has an old-fashioned feeling reminiscent of folklore and fairy tales, with a dollop of detective fiction mixed in ("'It would seem this freeloading floater IS rather far-reaching.'"). Concisely presented sidebars provide facts about the vision of each of the accused creatures, covering topics such as compound eyes, trifocal vision, and tube feet. Large, pen-and-ink illustrations, colored in Photoshop, fill the page, with an effect verging on the surreal. Back matter provides additional information about human vision and more about the featured animals. Pair this title with Steve Jenkins's Eye to Eye: How Animals See the World (Houghton Mifflin, 2014) for further discussion of vision. VERDICT This engrossing and original work lends itself to multiple readings. An excellent addition to science collections.-Myra Zarnowski, City University of New York

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