The Queen on our Corner by Lucy Christopher and Nia Tudor ~ #PictureBook #Review ~ @LucyCAuthor @NiaTudor @lantanapub

It’s publication day for The Queen on our Corner by Lucy Christopher and Nia Tudor. This stunning picture book is about the power of community spirit.

Told in first person, through the eyes of a little girl of colour, this is the story of a woman who lives on a street corner with her dog. My daughter was hooked from the very first spread where we first meet the little girl walking along with her mum. She is the only one who can see the woman who lives on an abandoned plot for who she really is…

A warrior queen! We adored seeing Queen’s daring and brave adventures. These fantasy spreads are simply spectacular and full of gorgeous details!

It really pulled at the heartstrings when Lucy and Nia pulled us back to the reality of how everyone else sees Queen. Nia has captured the unkind expressions on the people’s faces so well and Lucy’s words are perfect.

My four-year-old asked lots of questions about this spread and we talked about kindness – it’s a beautiful moment when the little girl and her mother offer Queen a cup of tea.

But what we loved most about this book was that when disaster strikes and Queen is the one to raise the alarm, it isn’t the end of the story. Really, it is just the beginning. My daughter loved seeing the little girl be the hero of this story – standing up for what’s right and showing the people what true community spirit really looks like.

The Queen on our Corner is a beautifully told, captivating story from start to finish. It pulls at the heartstrings and makes us all (young and old) stop and think about the importance of community, belonging and kindness. Debut illustrator, Nia, has created such a magical and believable world, perfectly marrying bustling urban life and the little girl’s imaginative fantasy. We adore this book and love picking out new little details every time we read it.

Published by Lantana Publishing, 21 October 2021