All Hail the Queen: Twenty Women Who Ruled

Illustrator Lewis depicts the eras of 20 female monarchs from world history in this brief, stylish volume with accompanying text by Ja. Some of the rulers are well known, such as Queen Victoria and Cleopatra, and others less known, such as first-century Celtic queen Boudica. Each queen’s section begins with a very brief informative biography by Ja; Lewis’s illustrations, the major draw of the book, are whimsical and colorful portraits and scenes from the lives and times of the rulers. The art and captions highlight details of varying importance from each woman’s life—Cleopatra’s habit of playing pranks with Marc Antony, Zenobia’s success in battle, Marie Antoinette’s penchant for dressing like a milkmaid. While the narratives are cursory, the drawings include historically accurate details like Roman friezes in their original painted colors. This is more a tour of Lewis’s historical research than a history, but it’s an aesthetically pleasing outing. Illus. (Mar.)