Book review: "The Book of Queens" tells of powerful women both real and fabled

Like its counterpart, The Book of Kings, The Book of Queens recounts stories of powerful women throughout history. While most of the highlighted women are real, there are a few famous fictional women taught about as well.

Image from Amazon

This book is divided into eight different chapters, with each chapter focusing on a type of "queen." While a few chapters talk about past female rulers of nations, others teach about women who are "queens of knowledge" or "queens of adventure." Learning about so many women who have made a difference in the world is quite inspiring.

One of my favorite sections in this book was about Queen Christina of Sweden. Currently, there's been a lot of talk in the news about two particular UK individuals who want a little more freedom. Queen Christina, in the 17th century, felt the same way! After helping broker peace for Europe's 30 year war, she only ruled for 10 years before abdicating and moving to Italy (she would later change her mind a few times about wanting to rule, but that isn't covered in this book). The Book of Queens quotes her as saying, "To obey no one is a greater happiness than to command the whole world." Way to stand strong, Christina!

One of my favorite queens is also highlighted in this book, the queen of crime, Agatha Christie. I enjoyed reading a bit about her and realizing she was also home schooled. Agatha was so shy that she didn't have anyone to play with, so she'd often escape into a fantasy world of her own. Her mom encouraged her to write down her musings and, bam, she ended up as one of the most famous authors in the world.

Want a better idea about other women this book focuses on? The world's first all-female anti-poaching squad, the Black Mambas, have two pages dedicated to the women and their work. Bessie Coleman, one of the first female (and African and Native American) fliers, Cynthia Breazeal, a robot designer, actress Katharine Hepburn, and the UK's Queen Elizabeth, are just a few of the many, many women in this book.

The Book of Queens goes on to tell about soooo many strong and influential women. This book is a great addition to a home library and has wonderful color photographs and illustrations. I've loved having my kids look through this book (and yeah, I'll admit I keep getting sucked into it as well!).

Book breakdown:
176 pages
Full-color photographs and illustrations
Best for ages: 9 through adult
Educational factor:high
Moral content: while wars, death, modesty, and different kinds of love are spoken of, each instance is done in a historical fashion, without taking a stance either way
Parents could be concerned about: I think most parents will be okay with this book