I know we shouldn’t have expected the Queen to go on
forever, but it was still a shock when she died so suddenly last Thursday. Of course we all knew she was 96 and getting
frail, but seeing that photo of her only two days earlier, greeting the new
Prime Minister, the main thing I noticed was her lovely smile. Then, as soon as the news was announced, all
the centuries-old ceremonies accompanying the death of the reigning monarch and
the installing of the new monarch began, which of course none of us had ever seen before.
It was all quite fascinating to watch.
Then I began to wonder what children, especially younger
ones, will remember about the Queen now she is no longer around, and once her
face has disappeared from stamps, coins etc.
Very soon, no doubt, in their minds Elizabeth II will be relegated to
ancient history, like Victoria and Elizabeth I.
For those of us who have lived all or most of our lives in the 70 years
of this Elizabethan age, when so many changes happened, it’s hard to imagine
anyone not being aware of her, or of her influence in our country and around
the world.
But of course there are books, so many books, written
especially for young children about Queen Elizabeth II, so I thought I would
mention some here.
1 The Queen’s Hat – by Steve Antony (for 3-5 year-olds)
A sudden gust of wind sets of a marvellous London adventure for the Queen, the Queen's men and one very special hat. So let's follow one determined, dare-devil queen through London Zoo, over Tower Bridge and up Big Ben ... just where will that hat land?
2 The Queen’s Knickers – by Nicholas Allan (for 3-5 years)
It's a busy year for the Queen - she has lots of important events to attend. Meanwhile, a little girl is wondering what knickers Her Majesty will choose to wear on a school visit! Will they be her 'at home' knickers - adorned with corgis - or her 'garden party' knickers, or perhaps her woolly Balmoral ones...?
3 Queen and the Fairy – by Sarah Smith (apparently for all ages, though I would
guess mainly for younger children!)
The Queen is visited by a magical fairy on the day of her
Platinum Jubilee. The Fairy gives the Queen three magic wishes which leads to
them going on a magical adventure.
These, of course, are all fiction for very young children – but I’d also like to include these more factual books for slightly older children:
4 Little Elizabeth – by Valerie Wilding (for 6-8 years)
Once, a very long time ago, there was a little Princess
called Elizabeth (or Lilibet as her family liked to call her) who loved to play
and have fun with her horses, dogs and little sister, Margaret. But when she
was ten years old, her life changed forever.
5 The Queen’s Wardrobe – by Julia Golding (for ages 7-11)
This book tells the story of a young princess who grew into
one of the world's best-loved and longest-serving royals, touching on wartime
truck-fixing, ration-book wedding dress making, splendid gowns, the Crown
Jewels, and her trusty wellies.
And lastly, if you will forgive me, could I add a plug for my own latest book?
6 Billy and the Queen – by Lynne Benton (for ages 7-11)
Set in 1953, the year of Queen Elizabeth’s coronation,
ten-year-old Billy is excited at the prospect of going to London to see the
Queen. However, things don’t go
according to plan…
It would be good to think that these books will still be read and enjoyed long after we’ve all got used to singing “God Save the King”!
6 comments:
My own favourite "Queen" book is Morris Gleitzmann's TWO WEEKS WITH THE QUEEN.
It is about young Colin and one of his family members who is terminally ill.
Bought it in March 1995.
Also I have read an article about biographies for teenagers; adults and young adults.
Thank you for this recommendation, Adelaide - I've not read it but it looks great.
In Hamish McHaggis and the Lost Prince Angus, the pine marten, meets and speaks to the Queen when he’s searching the forest around Balmoral for the missing deer ( prince) .
Lynne:
Glad you and your readers will be taking it up [if you want to].
Linda:
So much of the Queen's life - as we see in Lynne's recommendations - was taken up with animals.
And this one seems to be focused on her Scottish life.
Haggis is one of those inherently funny English words.
Then I remember in Harry Potter when someone's Patronus was a deer - or a wonderful STAG.
Hamish McHaggis's Lost Prince does not seem to be very stag-like.
And C.S. Lewis's books were in the early Elizabethian period. Stone tables and all that
[you could see that his writing about Jadis and Aslan and other bits of queendom were shaped possibly - maybe some other Lewis fans can join in with some more joined-up thinking than I have had here].
Thanks, Adelaide - you're right, a lot of the Queen's life was taken up with animals! And thanks, Linda, for your recommendation - go Hamish Mc Haggis!!!
Not sure that I'd particularly welcome these books in the house. They just serve to give the status quo some kind of legitimacy.
I've kept away from the vast majority of the dead queen coverage, but of the little I've watched, her family walking down the road...., such a Mexican Wave of bemedalled chests.
Last time I saw something it's equal was....
https://youtu.be/jNbvepjd46A
At least Zhukov was the genuine article.
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