Book Review: The Unruly Queen

AB picked up this gem at the library. She came over to me and said, "Mom, I know you're really going to like this one." She held up The Unruly Queen by E. S. Redmond. The cover alone had me. She's like a punky blend of Eloise and Fancy Nancy. AB and I love quality illustrations, but we have a special place in our hearts for quirkier illustrations of the Tim Burton variety. (Who knew that a preschooler would become so smitten with The Corpse Bride?)

Minerva is an only child of wealthy globetrotting parents. She is a spoiled brat who goes through a nanny a week. However, the 53rd nanny is different. She whips Minerva into shape with some cunning reverse psychology, crowning her the Unruly Queen for being "the single most difficult child to control." Minerva is presented with a beautiful purple crown. She is informed that with this title she is able to live far away on Petulant Peak where her royal subjects will be beasts and monsters who are loud and noisy. Her subjects will, of course, misbehave, just like the Unruly Queen herself. Minerva is none to happy to hear the perks of Petulant Peak and sets out to prove the 53rd nanny wrong about Petulant Peak being the perfect place for Minerva. So, she behaves. She even goes so far as to take a bath and brush her hair. Eventually, she gives up her Unruly Queen crown for her current comforts of butlers and pink satin pajamas.

Aside from the great illustrations and funny story line (written in rhyme!), AB loved that The Unruly Queen is a book about manners. She gravitates toward books of this sort because she enjoys admonishing the characters. Thankfully, she does not act that way with her friends. Yet, I do wish that it translated into a perfectly well-behaved AB. Well, a mother can dream, can't she?