Project Description
Mrs. Armitage, Queen of the Road
“Dear Anastasia, Because I am buying a new motorcycle, I won’t need my old car anymore. I would like you to have it as a present. It’s parked outside. Here are the keys. With love, Your Uncle Cosmo.”
Thus begins Mrs. Armitage’s exciting road adventure. There are many surprises along the way until all that is left is Mrs. Armitage, her faithful dog Breakspear, and the bare frame of the car. But the ever-resourceful Mrs. Armitage remains undaunted. And when she finally meets up with her uncle and his motorcycle cronies, Mrs. Armitage is rightfully honored as the Queen of the Road.
From best-selling author-illustrator Quentin Blake—Children’s Laureate of the United Kingdom and winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal—comes this charming story of an indomitable and charmingly off-beat woman who finds liberation and new friends out on the open road.
Price: $15.95
ISBN: 978-1-56145-287-3
Publication Date: 9/1/2003
Page Count: 32
Size: 8-1/8″ x 10-1/2″
Age Range: 4 – 8
Language: English
F&P: GRL M, Gr 2, Genre F
Themes: Cars, Friendship, Gifts
Reviews
“Blake’s characteristic watercolor cartoons pair perfectly with the silly text, creating another marvelous story about this eccentric but lovable lady.” ―School Library Journal
“Blake does more with squiggly black pen strokes and near-random splotches of color wash than many illustrators could do with much more, and he’s as giggle-inducing as they come. Excellent for read-alouds, and besides, it will remind you to pull out his Captain Najork stories once again.” ―Kirkus Reviews
“Delightfully droll details in Blake’s characteristically eccentric text and drawings keep this tale rolling along at a smooth clip. Readers will close the book chuckling-and hoping for Mrs. Armitage’s reappearance in yet another mode of transportation.” ―Publishers Weekly
“Blake’s text is as spare and full of momentum as Mrs. Armitage’s car. The well-paced, humorous language is filled with sound effects that will delight story-hour crowds, and Blake’s lively, scribbled, color-washed sketches find the humor in the chaotic action and create a wining character in resourceful, always upbeat Mrs. Armitage.” ―Booklist
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Meet the Author/Illustrator
Quentin Blake is a best-selling illustrator and author-illustrator of more than one hundred books and the recipient of numerous awards, including the Kate Greenaway Medal and a Bologna Ragazzi Award. In 1999, Blake was named the first Children’s Laureate of the United Kingdom. He lives in England and France. You can visit his website here.