A Royal Ride: Catherine the Great's Great Invention by Kristen Fulton, illustrated by Lucy Fleming. PICTURE BOOK/NON FICTION. Margaret K. McElderrey Books (Simon and Schuster), 2019. $18. 9781481496575
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Weaving bits of Russian history and the story of Catherine the Great, Fulton looks at the invention of the roller coaster. After improving education in Russia, she built universities and museums. The interesting part is how much Catherine loved sledding in the Russian winters which lead to a new idea. She commissioned her builders to make a sled that would work in the summer. Great non fiction illustrations of the building and a timeline add to the information in this inventive retelling of her story.
A Royal Ride has lovely illustrations that make reading the book a pleasure. Fleming has also illustrated beautiful books like Ponyo and The Snow Queen. Catherine the Great's idea to launch a summer slide piqued the world's imagination about the roller coaster in 1784. I love the fun applications for STEM activities with the book (building a roller coaster) as well as it being a useful addition to the biography section for young readers. It was quick enough to read aloud and the story flowed nicely. If you like non fiction like Doreen Rappaport's big book series, this is a must-have!
Michele Edgley, Library Technology Teacher
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