Herman’s Hermits did more for Henry VIII than most North American schools. I just asked a group of 25 high school juniors if they knew who Henry VII was, and two students raised their hands. They knew that he had many wives, but incorrectly said that he killed all of them. To be fair, when I was a child, if a teacher had said Henry VIII we would’ve echoed it with, Herery the eighth I am, I am. Set against this backdrop is what makes The Six Queens of Henry VIII all the more remarkable. It’s an illustrated book with graphic novel element that manages to entertain audiences in equal measure to its education.
Which comes first, the education or the entertainment? That’s a tough distinction in The Six Queens of Henry VIII. It effortlessly confronts the objections that readers have regarding non-fiction, reading or English history. Young audiences may not want to engage in a book, yet this is curious, with the illustrations being bold, colorful and full of action, drama or intrigue. Yeah, it’s a book, they will begrudgingly admit, which my friends have said are lame, but it’s fun to look at. It’s English history with kings and queens and stuff, which are of zero interest to me, but the book’s presentation is varied, and I find myself reading about a long-dead king and his many wives.
To get the most enjoyment out of The Six Queens of Henry VIII, you do need to read the blurbs. These blurbs are a sentence or two that are on top of, or below the illustration. The text is written at a level for middle school or high school audiences to understand it. The book can be enjoyed by any age, but those younger ages will simply laugh at the illustrations and muddle through as many words as they can. American students will study Henry VIII when they cover the Renaissance or early Reformation period.
Their main takeaway from learning about him is that he was an overweight redhead who had six wives. Some students will know that he established the Church of England. He created that when the Catholic Church wouldn’t annul his first marriage, to Catherine of Aragon. She was initially married to Prince Arthur, who was Henry VIII older brother. Their last name is Tudor, which defined this time period.
Catherine was loved across the continent, but when the annulment happened, she was relegated to live in castles. However, she was beloved and continued to sign any correspondence with “Catherine the Queen.” In happier times, Catherine was in control of England while Henry was in France fighting a battle. Scotland violated a peace agreement and invaded the northern part of the country. Pregnant Catherine rallied the troops, rode into battle with them, and wanted to send the body of Scotland’s defeated king, James IV to Henry. However, British sentiment decided that this wouldn’t be a good idea, so she sent him James’ bloody coat as proof of victory.
This is just one of the wives, and spoiler alert, they don’t all die, or are killed by Henry. One of them is beheaded. The wives who followed her didn’t make the same mistakes as her. However, he did get engaged the day after said wife’s neck met the sharp end of a sword. There are so many twists in The Six Queens of Henry VIII that it feels like a Shakespearean piece of fiction. The evolution of Henry VIII from the dashing, athletic, culture aficionado to the ill-tempered king that he became is fascinating. The book opens up that era in a way that no illustrated book we’ve seen before does. Middle and high school audiences will learn something.
The Six Queens of Henry VIII has the same effect as a great Nat Geo Kids book. The truncated text doesn’t speak down to readers. It’s just enough to provide information, but not enough for them to lose the plot or not want to read it. The illustrations and their variety parry the words nicely. One section of the illustrations are more traditional. The next two pages are more like a graphic novel, with panels and action. To make things more engaging, those graphic novel pages go back in the queen’s life to detail something that was briefly referenced in the pages that are more traditional. This is the basis, or the detailed filler that middle and high school students need to make their papers pop. It’s interesting, educational, and fun, a combination that those ages never would’ve expected from a book about British royalty.
The Six Queens of Henry VIII is by Honor Cargill-Martin with illustrations by Jaimee Andrews and available on Sourcebooks Explore.
There are affiliate links in this post.
Facebook
Twitter
Youtube