My Napoleon - Softcover

Catherine Brighton

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0711211272 ISBN 13: 9780711211278

Publisher: Frances Lincoln Ltd, 1998

Synopsis

This is the diary of little Betsy Balcombe, telling of her friendship with a Very Important Prisoner, the Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, who is sent to live with her family on the remote island of St Helena. Together, they make splendid toys and go for fast canters in the Emperor's carriage. When Betsy returns to England she has memories of her own special Napoleon which she will treasure for the rest of her life. The book is based on the memoirs of the real-life Betsy.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Grade 3-5. My Napoleon expresses the special relationship between the legendary French General, Napoleon Bonaparte, and an English girl, Betsy Balcombe. Napoleon spent his last years as a guest in her father's home on the island of St. Helena after his defeat in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Through this story based on excerpts from her journals, readers become acquainted with the man who was once the great emperor. Betsy describes her apprehension about sharing her home with the V.I.P.N. (Very Important Prisoner, Napoleon): "Papa says he is a demon, so perhaps he has a very long, pointed tail with poison on the end. I must keep my distance!" Her dread is short-lived, however, as Betsy begins to befriend the once mighty man. Indeed, he becomes a virtual playmate acting as mischievous as any child. Brighton's exquisitely crafted watercolor illustrations recount the dress and architecture of the day; they are truly descriptive if a bit stylized. The double-page spreads contribute to the sense that readers are unfolding a rediscovered time and place. However, the book is limited to one very specific period as seen through the eyes of a young girl. Children old enough to be familiar with the general's life will find the chatty text and childlike selection of incidents unappealing, and it's unlikely that younger children will get much out of this offering.?Amelia Kalin, Valley Cottage Library, NY
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews:

A look at Napoleon through the eyes of a real child, Betsy Balcombe, in whose home Napoleon lived when he was exiled to St. Helena. Betsy wrote about Napoleon in her journal, and it is this account that Brighton (Mozart, 1990, etc.) uses as the basis for her story. The details have the ring of truth to them: Betsy is terrified of the emperor until she discovers he is tiny--``no bigger than me!'' He teases her and takes her for a ride in his carriage, is pleased that she will speak French with him, and plies her with sugar bonbons until she is sick all over the carpet. When the family returns to England, Betsy is sorry to leave him behind. Scenes from a child's perspective are given bright, hyper-realistic colors that seem to drench the characters in the last rays of the setting sun. Children will enjoy the story whether they know of Napoleon or not, and will be surprised in coming years to meet a rather different fellow in the annals of European history. (chronology) (Picture book. 6-8) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Frances Lincoln Ltd
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0711211272
• ISBN 13: 9780711211278
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32