My Napoleon
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, NYCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.