Pocket Bios: Marie Antoinette

February 15, 2019
The ill-fated queen of France takes center stage in a beginner's biography.As a subject of a biography for preschoolers and early-elementary readers, Marie Antoinette, a woman who is known for the probably apocryphal "Let them eat cake!" and for her execution by guillotine during the French Revolution, is a curious choice. Berenger (not a person but a French media collective) introduces her as an Austrian princess married off to a French prince as part of a peace negotiation. At 18, she is crowned at Reims with her husband, Louis XVI, and she proceeds to "insist on the finest of everything....She hired hairdressers to change her hairstyle every day!" But "meanwhile, many people in France were poor and starving," so "they decided to overthrow their king and queen!" The hopelessly simplistic account proceeds through the royal couple's imprisonment, Louis' execution (framed by the guillotine, he looks worriedly out at readers), the confiscation of her son, and her trial (depicted) and execution (not). Backmatter includes further information, which mostly muddies the waters rather than clearing them, introducing Robespierre and the Reign of Terror in a three-sentence thumbnail and presenting a complicated map of Europe that may be of more use to the volume's original French readers than to North American ones. The bobbleheaded cartoons, all white, look by turns happy, anxious, and angry; they are at all times vapid. Companion title Buddha is equally inadequate.Laughably undercontextualized and not particularly interesting, despite the decapitations. (Picture book/biography. 4-7)

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April 15, 2019
Grades K-3 With its narrative approach and bubbly cartoon illustrations, the Pocket Bios series (4 new titles) gives young readers an engaging introduction to both nonfiction texts and historical figures. Short, clear chapters walk through a person's life, addressing accomplishments or infamies and ending with their (sometimes untimely) deaths. Though initially beloved by the people of France, the subject of Marie Antoinette soon faced their wrath, living lavishly while her subjects starved, then rebelled. The illustrations, though eye-catching and often adorable, are more for providing entertainment than historical accuracy. The text, however, is level and informative, and marked with dates; and the visual back matter, which consists of a time line, clearly labeled map, guide to key characters, and roundup of important facts, will be extremely useful for young readers learning the ins and outs of nonfiction.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)