Reviews

The Queen's Progress: An Elizabethan Alphabet by Celeste Davidson Mannis, Bagram Ibatoulline

lauralynnwalsh's review

3.0

This is a beautifully illustrated alphabet book about Queen Elizabeth. I am not a huge history buff, but this is actually quite interesting for someone who likes her history in small doses.

michelle_neuwirth_gray9311's review

4.0

A beautifully illustrated book with simple rhymes for the alphabet letters and interesting fact boxes throughout.

melaniegaum's review

5.0

Incredible illustrations! I'm pleased the letter X was an actual word and not something like "eXtra" of "eXciting." I also learned a new word: xystus.

It's hard to believe the author had originally written a 1000+ page novel and then turned it into this!

maidmarianlib's review

4.0

Rich illustrations really capture the time period. The alphabet format makes the information a little scattered, but it's a solid overview of the times and the Queen.

satyridae's review

4.0

The word that kept springing to mind was sumptuous. The illustrations are rich, rich, rich! The fashions are intense and meticulously reproduced. There's a mischievous dog on most of the pages- sometimes biting a bad guy, sometimes running off with the sausages. The dual narrative works really well- there's a simple-ish rhyming alphabet, then a bit more of an explanation of the times and the people in a box on the same or the facing page. It all comes together in a delightful Tudor panoply. The Tudor era is one I've read much about- I've been fascinated by the era since I was small, and to see it from this perspective was a treat. For all the biographies I've read of Elizabeth, though, this was the first time I'd seen Thomasina mentioned. I'm intrigued by this female jester who apparently served under both Mary and Elizabeth. It's a lovely book, highly recommended for both Elizabethan fans and fashion geeks.