The Unruly Queen

Fifty-two nannies in fifty-two weeks — and Minerva von Vyle is still impossible! Can anyone tame this spoiled, wild child?

"But what sort of queen lives with beasts in a cave?”
“The sort,” Nanny answered, “who never behaves."

Minerva rules her household with shrieks and commands, demanding candy for dinner and refusing to entertain any discussion of bedtime. Indeed, fifty-two nannies have run screaming from the house. But when the elegant and bespectacled fifty-third nanny, undaunted by Minerva’s tirades, appears on the scene to crown her young charge “the Unruly Queen,” tutu-clad Minerva is thrilled — until she hears the details of the position. E. S. Redmond’s brisk, bouncy rhymes and vibrant, delightfully detailed artwork portray Minerva’s unyielding awfulness and Nanny’s unshakable calm with comedic flair, prompting even the most unmanageable youngsters to be careful what they wish for.

“A nanny - Mary Poppins' acidic cousin? - outwits a spoiled fusspot using reverse psychology... For readers in the mood for a little menace. --Kirkus Reviews Redmond follows in the delightfully subversive footsteps of Shel Silverstein in this tale of Minerva von Vyle, a child so rude and spoiled that she has been through 52 nannies in as many weeks... Redmond's clever rhyming verse trips off the tongue, and her scratchy, vintage-style illustrations bring to mind a slightly sunnier Edward Gorey. --School Library Journal Redmond's spidery ink lines, meticulous texturing, and high camp style are ghoulish fun... This study in reverse psychology should keep gothically inclined children occupied until the next Tim Burton movie comes out. --Publishers Weekly The topic of bad behavior and bedtime have timeless appeal in this silly read-aloud. --Library Media Connection E.S. Redmond, where have you been all my life? How did you come up with the most marvelous first page of a children's book that I may have ever read? Minerva is a slightly older and darker Eloise but, luckily for Minerva, she is about to meet a nanny who knows just how to handle her. With gorgeous illustrations and a wickedly funny story in verse, this has jumped to the top of my favorite books list. --Huffington Post Parents blog”

A nanny - Mary Poppins' acidic cousin? - outwits a spoiled fusspot using reverse psychology... For readers in the mood for a little menace.
—Kirkus Reviews

Redmond follows in the delightfully subversive footsteps of Shel Silverstein in this tale of Minerva von Vyle, a child so rude and spoiled that she has been through 52 nannies in as many weeks... Redmond’s clever rhyming verse trips off the tongue, and her scratchy, vintage-style illustrations bring to mind a slightly sunnier Edward Gorey.
—School Library Journal

Redmond's spidery ink lines, meticulous texturing, and high camp style are ghoulish fun... This study in reverse psychology should keep gothically inclined children occupied until the next Tim Burton movie comes out.
—Publishers Weekly

The topic of bad behavior and bedtime have timeless appeal in this silly read-aloud.
—Library Media Connection

E.S. Redmond, where have you been all my life? How did you come up with the most marvelous first page of a children's book that I may have ever read? Minerva is a slightly older and darker Eloise but, luckily for Minerva, she is about to meet a nanny who knows just how to handle her. With gorgeous illustrations and a wickedly funny story in verse, this has jumped to the top of my favorite books list.
—Huffington Post Parents blog

E. S. Redmond is the author-illustrator of Felicity Floo Visits the Zoo, her debut picture book. She lives in Massachusetts.

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