When a powerful king dreams that the only woman worthy of being his queen will be born in a particular village, he does everything he can to ensure that the village prospers, reserving all manner of blessings for its residents, and promising his son as a future leader of its council. But when the long expected queen is finally united with the king, the villagers begin to forget the source of their blessings, even going so far as to attack the young prince when - true to his word - the king sends him to them. Undermined by greed and distrust, the village is soon in ruins. Is it too late for the people to learn the error of their ways, or do they dare to hope for mercy? In the end, they must "take it to the Queen."

I imagine that, as a non-Catholic, I'm probably one of the few readers to approach Josephine Nobisso's Take It To the Queen with less of an interest in its narrative - intended as a theological allegory explaining (and celebrating) the Virgin Mary's role as intercessor for the sinful - than the illustrations by Hungarian artist Katalín Szegedí. I have a great interest in international children's literature, and a friend who reads Hungarian had recommended Szegedí's work (thanks, Katri!), so I was very happy to run across this title. I am glad to be able to report that I was not disappointed! The illustrations here are lovely, an engaging mix of painted and collage elements. I really liked the fact that they managed to be beautiful, without being "sweet."

All in all, I'm happy to have read this, although I think it is a book that will be of interest primarily to young Catholics, and the adults in their lives. Mary's place in "salvific" history isn't really a casual topic, so I don't see this as having a wider audience, save for those (like me) with an interest in the artist's work.

**Note to adult readers using this book with children: If, like me, you are reading the paperback edition of Take It To the Queen, be sure to look under the cover-flaps (front and rear) for the author's detailed notes on the symbolism of this story, and accompanying illustrations. ( )

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