THE QUEEN’S PROGRESS

Queen Elizabeth I makes her way through the English countryside on one of her summer “progresses,” attended by an entourage that includes two traitors. Arranged alphabetically, Elizabeth’s travels are narrated, as in so many alphabet books these days, on two levels. The alphabet letters introduce short, doggerel verse, while accompanying text boxes provide fuller information about the goings-on. This split-personality organization conveys too little information for those whose attention spans limit the experience to the alphabet portion of the narrative. “I is for intrigue, / and shadowy strangers,” will be nothing short of baffling to this set, although older children will learn that “[m]any plots were aimed at Queen Elizabeth during her reign.” Ibatoulline seems able to adapt his style to anything, here rendering lush, detailed oils that recall the Northern European masters of the Renaissance. The traitors, however, although they are introduced in the “A” spread, do not figure enough throughout the rest of the illustrations to build a satisfying tension before the climax. A potentially lovely and interesting effort, but both text and illustrations just miss the mark. (Picture book/nonfiction. 4-8)