Review: Where’s Mrs Queen?

Something slightly different today… A gorgeous new board book that’s lots of fun!

Book: Where’s Mrs Queen? by Ingela P Arrhenius

Read before: No (but several times since it arrived!)

Ownership: Review copy sent free of charge from Nosy Crow Books. All opinions my own.

It might seem a little odd to review a book with only 32 words, and I certainly can’t talk about the plot, but I can tell you that this is a book that is sure to be a hit with babies and parents alike! The Felt Flaps series from Nosy Crow is a collection of short board books with, as the name implies, felt flaps to interact with. We’ve previously enjoyed Where’s Mr Narwhal?, so I was on the lookout for more of these fun little reads when Nosy Crow offered me a chance to review Where’s Mrs Queen?, which sounded like a hilarious concept. Just look at that corgi! Apart from the Queen, the other people that need to be found are classic elements of London life, from a double decker bus driver to a member of the Queen’s Guard, which is very cute – this would be a great souvenir of a London trip.

Each double-page spread asks where someone is, then offers an interestingly-shaped and  brightly coloured felt flap to lift to reveal them – the policeman is behind a police car, the guard is in his sentry box, and so on. I really love the simple art style, as it’s very eye-catching, and the colours make it really attractive and easy to point out details. I’m also impressed by the dedication to gender balance – easy enough with sea creatures, but effort is definitely made here to make sure the characters don’t all default to male – and there is some diversity of race too, though it could be even better. The last spread is perhaps the most exciting: it asks (spoilers ahead!) where you are, and behind the flap is a mirror! It’s a really nice way to round out a really entertaining interactive read.

A rating seems a little unfair for such a short book as there’s not much to go on, but it’s definitely one I won’t mind reading over and over – a great addition to a super fun series!