Here's 6 right royal jubilee read for kids
Children's book reviewer CAROLINE FRANKLIN says "In addition to the larger celebrations, myself and my neighbours will be celebrating this weekend in the same way that many all over the country will I suspect, the emphasis being on having a nice piece of cake and a good chat. Will I have made the Jubilee trifle? Now, a week beforehand, I feel enthusiastic about it, but I’m not committing myself.
It’s been a time for looking out commemorative bits and pieces from past Royal celebrations including my very old small sepia-coloured photograph of long rows of children sat at tables in our school playground celebrating – could it have been when Queen Victoria was on the throne? The market for commemorative items boomed in the Victorian era and by the time of the First World War there were few homes which did not have a picture of the monarch proudly displayed over the mantelpiece. So why do we buy the mugs, the plates, the bits and pieces which commemorate a royal event? Not for the money they will bring eventually – unless you’re very lucky. Perhaps it is because we want to be part of it all, to show our appreciation for a woman who has always done her duty by us on good days and bad and who, whether you are a royalist or not, has earned our admiration
So on with the flags, the cakes, the chat, the commemorative mugs and the congratulations to the First Lady of Our Land. Have a jolly Jubilee! And if the festivities get too much for the children, there are always books to read…"
Firstly, two books which will help the youngest members of the family get the idea about celebrations. Busy Party and Busy Royal Family both have easy push, pull and slide holes in the pages which bring the fun and games to life. Sturdy and brightly coloured they will help toddlers learn to use their hands and build their vocabulary whilst enjoying themselves.
I especially liked Busy Royal Family in which the Queen chooses a hat, cheers on her horses and ends up riding in a splendid carriage with, of course, the corgis.
Two happy little books which children aged two and upwards will love. Published by Campbell at £6.99 (HB)
Slightly older children will love finding out what happened to one of the world’s favourite bears when he went to see the changing of the guard. In Michael Bond’s Paddington at the Palace things don’t start out too well. There were so many people, Paddington couldn’t see and, when he tried to crawl through people’s legs to get a better view, someone mistook him for a soldier’s busby!
Of course, it all ends happily with Paddington being allowed inside the gates to have his picture taken. A delight of a story with glittering gold on the cover Reader and young listener will love it.
Published by Harper Collins at £6.99.
Did you see the 500 magnificent horses which took part in the Queen’s Jubilee celebration in Windsor? Towards the end, horses from the Queen’s many homes were brought into the arena and the final horse, which paused in front of her, was the one she herself rode. The Queen’s face lit up with joy. For some ridiculous reason, this still brings tears to my eyes.
And so of course I had to include a book about horses and for children aged nine and upwards what could be more appropriate than Clare Balding’s The Racehorse Who Learned To Dance? Funny, heartwarming, appealing, this is a good story about girls who love horses and don’t give up when the going gets rough. A good read both for those who ride and for those who stick to riding donkeys on the beach on holiday.
Published by Penguin at £6.99 (PB)
Michael Morpurgo’s There Once Is A Queen is a gentle telling of the life of a small girl who enjoyed the countryside and all that lived within it and who grew up through the war years and the death of her beloved father to be queen in a world which was rapidly changing.
The charming soft, watercolour illustrations by Michael Foreman enhance a book which will help children to understand that their queen is a real person who has remained – as Morpurgo puts it – ‘devoted to crown, to country …and the odd corgi or two!’
There Once Is A Queen would be a wonderful reminder of a special time in our history for children aged seven and upwards.
Published by Harper Collins at £12.99(HB).
Finally,The Queen’s Wardrobe has fascinating facts about the sort of wardrobe our Queen needs to be correctly dressed for the many engagements she has to undertake.
It all begins with her christening gown, made for Queen Victoria’s first child in 1841 and which has now been honourably and carefully ‘retired’. However, her wedding dress will be a star attraction in a new exhibition at Buckingham Palace.
At the time of her wedding in 1947, there was still clothes rationing and the government gave the then princess 200 coupons towards her dress (for you couldn’t have her getting married in any old thing!) Women all over the country sent their coupons to Elizabeth for use towards her dress, but the princess returned them all, conscious that a princess must never break the rules.
It was somehow reassuring to read that the Queen is apparently a prudent woman and she keeps the clothes in her magnificent wardrobe as long as possible. When in 2012 Barbour offered her a new jacket for her Diamond Jubilee, she chose to have her old one renovated instead and her shoes are re-heeled rather than replaced.
Through the immensely heavy and magnificent dress the Queen wore for her coronation, all those hats, including one named the ‘yellow spaghetti hat’, to her headscarves and what she likes to wear at home with the family, the details and illustrations of her life will fascinate children aged 10 plus, whether or not they have an interest in clothes themselves.
Published by Two Hoots at £14.99 (HB)
