A Royal Ride

April 1, 2019
Who knew that Catherine the Great was such a sport? Today's roller-coaster enthusiasts can thank Catherine the Great for her role in the creation of an early roller coaster. Since the 1400s, Russians had created ice slides, like giant versions of today's playground slides but made of wood, with the slide itself covered in ice. Catherine apparently loved wintertime, when she could whoosh down the slope in her "jeweled tiara and tapestry gown," but the fun ended when winter ended and the ice melted. So she ordered her royal builders to create a slide that could be enjoyed year-round. She envisioned "Gilded beams and poles as high as a mountain. Golden stairs that spiraled all the way to the top." What she got, in 1784, was a wooden structure that threatened splinters in "her royal bum." It was all downhill from there...and uphill...and around. With the installation of rails and a wheeled carriage, it was a success and the progenitor of the many refinements over the many years since. In lighthearted illustrations rendered in Adobe Photoshop, Catherine is portrayed as a rosy-cheeked, fun-loving, olive-skinned young woman who sponsored schools, universities, and museums. Absent from both text and illustrations are the despot's less-sterling attributes. Simplifying history to provide context for a purposively upbeat story can be a slippery slope, but young readers will enjoy the fun in which the volume is intended. A breezy look at a historical footnote, just right for young children on their way to the amusement park. (author's note, timeline, bibliography, acknowledgments) (Picture book. 4-8)

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August 2, 2019

PreS-Gr 3-Russian ice slides originated in the 1400s but prospered each winter as a fun form of entertainment for the country's citizens. Each spring, when the slides melted, Catherine the Great was very dismayed, so she decided to work with Russian engineers to build a slide that would last year-round. When it was finally completed, they had built the first-ever roller coaster that was 40 feet high with a bejeweled carriage. The author explains how Catherine created the Hermitage Museum, went to war, wrote a book, started the first school for girls, and so much more. The book also contains a time line and list of how roller coaster is pronounced in different languages. The illustrations are cutesy and modern with a whimsical feel. VERDICT Although this book is illustrated to catch the eye of younger readers, it contains a lot of information. A surprisingly jam-packed and fun work of nonfiction.-Maeve Dodds, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, NC

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 26, 2019
Cartoon scenes of a young Catherine the Great (1729–1796) animate the beginnings of the first wooden roller coaster. The Russian empress adores Saint Petersburg’s winter ice slides (“she bolted, barreled, and breezed six hundred feet down,” reads Fulton’s spirited text) and longs to enjoy their thrill during the summer months. Sketching a design with “gilded beams and poles as high as a mountain,” Catherine sets her builders to the task. They modify and construct her idea, erecting a wood tower (not gold, to her dismay) and carriage that delight the empress, and the first “Russian mountain” is born. In Fleming’s art, Catherine pushes education for all and bosses builders about while wearing a crown and cape, accompanied by an orange tabby and small white dog. A brief author’s note, roller coaster timeline, and bibliography conclude this whimsical introduction to roller coaster history. Ages 4–8.

July 1, 2019
Grades K-2 In many languages, the word for roller-coaster translates as Russian mountains, a tribute to Catherine the Great, the Russian empress credited with its invention. A great fan of ice slides?down which she and her subjects would ride during their long winters?Catherine called her royal builders and made a most royal request. She wanted to be able to enjoy her favorite diversion year-round. Working from her initial idea, they brainstormed, experimented, and finally produced a wooden, jewel-encrusted downhill thrill ride that would work in the warmer months. Fleming's fanciful Photoshop illustrations depict youthful, cartoon-style characters, cats in sweaters, and a St. Basil's Cathedral plonked in the middle of rolling green fields. While not necessarily a literal rendering of the era, this is certainly a fun romp through the early history of a modern favorite (or feared) activity. Back matter includes a time line, bibliography, and an author's note telling how Catherine's original prototype continued to evolve into the familiar montagnes russes of today.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)