The Six Queens of Henry VIII, by Honor Cargill-Martin , Jaimee Andrews(Illustrator)

 

Publication Feb. 3, 20266

Having read many adult level books on the Henry VIII era, I have to admit to more curiosity over how they'd handle, well, how he disposed of so many wives in a children's nonfiction book. As it turned out, pretty well. True, be forewarned that there is one illustration of a bloody sword, but overall it simply says they died and moves on. Don't get me wrong, there's quite a bit of info shared within, including the usual intrigue and efforts to gain status and position within the royal court, but it simply shows the times and, well, Henry VIII's ego and intent upon having whatever he wanted no matter what.

As for the wives, it actually does a nice job sharing their personalities with us. The charts used for each were quite informative, including education and interests, among other things, including date of demise. The illustrations are lively and colorful with the focus on the women, not Henry, I might note. The sections on each draw you in and provide the basics without drama. Heck, even Anne's end is handled rather matter-of-fact style. The sections also seem to follow the same pattern. giving a bit of the six queens background, how they encountered Henry, their doings within the royal court, and then their downfall. Again, all told without drama. We even get a peek at his daughters Mary and Elizabeth.  The dress of the day is definitely fun to see and is well done by the illustrator. 

Bottom line, while I question somewhat the designation of the book for "children", I don't feel most children today would find much to be shocked at within. While I can envision some reaction to the executioner's bloody sword, for instance, let's face it, kids will be kids, they've surely seen far more explicit scenes on television by the time they'd be ready to tackle this book. The family tree info and timelines at the back are also useful in helping ground us in the Tudor Era. The cover actually helps set the tone and was a fun prelude to the saga. Thanks #SourcebooksKids for this early peek at a period in history that has always fascinated me. I wonder how history might have been changed had Catherine Parr not been able to persuade Henry to return his daughters to the line of succession.